By Wendy Anders
Waves in the Caribbean are predicted to reach up to 8 1/2 feet tomorrow, Friday, and over 9 1/2 feet on Saturday, dropping on Sunday, and then rising again next Tuesday, said the University of Costa Rica’s Ocean Sciences Investigation Center (CIMAR) in an alert today.

Likewise, small crafts under 24 ft. are warned that rough Pacific seas may make travel dangerous.

These higher than usual tides expected in the Caribbean may cause flooding in low lying areas such as Cieneguita, Moín, Puerto Vargas, and Manzanillo, warned the UCR experts.

The highest seas can be expected between 9pm and midnight; extra precaution should be taken by local residents and visitors during these hours.

The World Health Organization in April 2014 reported that drownings are the third cause of death by unintentional trauma, accounting for over 350,0000 deaths per year worldwide. The WHO considers this to be a low estimate due to underreporting of the problem.

The Costa Rican Red Cross reported the drowning death of a Costa Rican at Playa Negra in Puerto Viejo during Holy Week in March.

An American drowned in the Osa Peninsula in February and in another in Quepos in March, as reported in The Costa Rica Star News. And in January, the media reported on nine Costa Ricans who died when their tourist boat near Little Corn Island off Nicaraguan’s Caribbean coast capsized during rough weather.

Though Costa Rica’s coast is just 5 percent the length of the United States’, the two countries have similar drowning mortality rates, meaning Costa Rica’s is very high, stated Costa Rica’s Prensa Libre in 2015. The Tamarindo Chamber of Commerce, said the outlet, together with international researchers estimated that between 2000 and 2014 an average of 50-60 drowning deaths per year were reported in Costa Rica.

If you are vacationing at the beach this next week, stay alert.