It's not quite the John Drest debacle, but it does bear similarities: an American cruise visitor died this morning while on a snorkeling trip at a popular dive spot near Caye Caulker. 65-year-old cruise passenger John Varry was out snorkeling at "Shark and Ray Alley" with his sister and her husband when he suffered an apparent heart attack. The family was part of a bigger group of 9 tourists from the Carnival Cruise Line Ship 'Legend.' The tour guide Bubia Aguilar told police that around 10:30 this morning Varry began experiencing difficulties in the water. He was rushed to the clinic in Caye Caulker and pronounced dead on arrival.
A representative from the tour company was tight lipped and refused to even give us their name. Varry's relatives have stayed on in Belize to await the results of the post mortem.
In November, 68-year-old cruise visitor John Drest disappeared (See American Snorkeler Missing at Sea) while snorkeling at Shark and Ray Alley. He is believed to have drowned, but his body has never been found. In that case, his relatives blamed it on negligence on the part of the tour company.
