Three local men who stepped forward to rescue passengers and crew in the immediate aftermath of the deadly July 18 late-night boat collision near Anse Cochon shared their visceral, firsthand accounts of the tragedy during a public Commission of Inquiry hearing held on Wednesday, detailing the urgent life-saving measures they deployed, the severe injuries they witnessed, and their painstaking searches for unaccounted missing individuals.
The catastrophic incident unfolded when two vessels, the northbound Ocean Angel and southbound Cazorla Jr which was en route to Soufriere, collided in the dark coastal waters. The crash claimed four lives: Tyrone Paul, Marley Williams, Mhakeida Nestor, and Debbie Dolor, while leaving 14 others with varying degrees of serious injuries. The three witnesses who took the stand were Larry John, a security officer at the nearby Ti Kaye Resort and Spa, and local commercial boat operators Nemius Joseph and Darren Joseph, widely known in the community by the nickname “Caffu.”
John explained that he was on a scheduled work break at the resort when he first heard an approaching vessel, followed instantly by a deafening, unexpected crash. He rushed to the resort’s dock that overlooks the cove, but found visibility completely wiped out by the pitch-black night, leaving him unable to make out any details on the water. He immediately alerted a fellow security staff member and his on-duty supervisor, then made his way to the elevated Ti Manje Restaurant that faces Anse Cochon for a better vantage point to coordinate assistance. The resort’s management quickly lowered a pedestrian bridge connecting the main property to a floating dock, creating a safe access point to pull distressed passengers from the water. When a commissioner asked him to describe his emotional state during the chaos, John acknowledged the traumatic scenes left a deep impression. “I am doing fine now, but in those moments I was overwhelmed with emotion,” he testified. “I saw pools of blood and dozens of severe injuries. Six men were bleeding heavily and in a state of panic, so I kept reassuring them to stay calm that ambulances were on their way.”
Nemius Joseph told the panel he had been traveling aboard his own vessel, the Finding Nemo, on a routine trip from Gros Islet to Soufriere when he passed the Ti Kaye resort shoreline on the night of the collision. He spotted unusual lights coming from a damaged yacht, adjusted his course to port to investigate, and soon heard a group of people screaming for help. He pulled alongside to bring the stranded survivors onto his boat and ferried them to the safety of the Ti Kaye dock. The survivors repeatedly alerted him that Cazorla Jr captain Tyson Hippolyte and passenger Taylor Riviere were still unaccounted for, so Joseph immediately turned his vessel back to the crash site to launch a search, until marine law enforcement officers arrived shortly after to take over official search and rescue operations.
Darren “Caffu” Joseph, who testified in his native Kwéyòl language, recounted that he was also traveling south toward Soufriere after departing Gros Islet when he spotted someone waving a flashlight near Anse Cochon. Aware that the Cazorla Jr had set off on its journey before him, he grew concerned, shifted his boat’s engine to neutral, and began scanning the surrounding waters. He soon spotted the partially submerged wreckage of the Ocean Angel, then located the missing captain Tyson. The full scope of the tragedy hit him so hard that he nearly fainted and had to be steadied by a nearby person. He loaded multiple survivors onto his vessel, and was then asked to join the search for four additional missing people. During the search, he spotted a lifeless body floating in the water, and the team pulled it aboard, placing it on the lap of another injured passenger nicknamed “Chakabee” — whose real name is Elius Nicholas — as that was the only available open space on the crowded craft. By that point, his small boat was carrying 10 to 11 people, a mix of injured survivors and rescue volunteers. He navigated toward Canaries, hoping the rough, choppy sea conditions would ease enough to allow the injured to be brought safely ashore, and remained by Chakabee’s side until an ambulance arrived to transport the wounded man for medical care. Caffu disclosed that the tragedy had deeply personal stakes for him: he is a blood relative of one of the deceased, Tyrone Paul, and had shared a close, long-term friendship with another victim, Marley Williams. When commissioners asked if he would require professional trauma counselling to process the events, he responded that he was mentally resilient and drew strength from his religious faith. Commission Chair Mario Mitchell formally thanked all three witnesses for their brave, rapid response that saved dozens of lives the night of the crash, and confirmed that free, confidential trauma counselling services would be made available to all three men at any time if they chose to access it.
Witnesses recall rescue efforts after Anse Cochon boat collision
