On the Sunday of the long First of May weekend, residents and visitors in Jaco Beach were concerned about the Red Alert issued by the National Commission on Emergencies (Spanish initials: CNE) after a barge carrying 180 tons of ammonium nitrate capsized and sunk off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.

The CNE ordered an evacuation of the beaches from the Port of Caldera north to Puntarenas and across the Gulf of Nicoya down to Playa Tambor. Oceanographers have been keeping a close eye on the status of the sea currents in case the contaminated waters expand north to Guanacaste or south to the Central Pacific. As of 13:00 local time, that has not been the case; however, reports from law enforcement officers patrolling the waters indicate the presence of dead fish.

At this time, the reports of dead fish are isolated. On Sunday morning, CNE technicians were collecting specimens from different spots along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Ocean water, as well as live and dead fish, will be subject to laboratory analysis to determine the next steps to take with regard to emergency management, disaster recovery and environmental cleanup.

Aside from concern about the Red Alert, merchants in Jaco Beach noticed that visitors were leaving early on Sunday. It so happens that two swimmers disappeared over the weekend due to the very strong oceanic conditions, which were particularly powerful on the shore break. Red Cross rescuers and lifeguards warned beach goers of even stronger conditions expected on Sunday afternoon, and thus the beach started emptying out earlier than usual.