Karl F
08-27-2005, 07:12 AM
Man drowns in treacherous water
BY JASON KOLNOS
STAFF WRITER
CHATHAM - After a dramatic two-hour air and sea search yesterday afternoon, rescuers located the body of a 25-year-old Chatham man who had drowned in waters notorious for treacherous rip currents.
Chatham harbor master patrollers pulled the body of Matthew Matsik from an area known as the Break or the Chatham Bars shortly before 6 p.m.
The Break is the water east of what locals call the Tombolo, a swath of sandy land mass that connects South Beach and the popular Lighthouse Beach.
Matsik's body was found less than a mile from the Chatham Lighthouse and Coast Guard station.
Several hundred beachgoers watched as at least three dozen rescuers from Chatham, the Coast Guard and the Mid-Cape dive team combed the waters that hug Lighthouse Beach, the Tombolo and the northern tip of South Beach.
''This was a very unfortunate accident,'' said Chatham Fire Captain Peter Connick, who headed rescue efforts.
Connick said Matsik, a graduate of Nauset High school and avid Red Sox fan, was last seen alive shortly before 4 p.m. as he was swimming roughly 50 to 100 feet offshore from the southern section of the Tombolo near South Beach.
''He was the most loving, kind and caring person in the world,'' said his sister Carly, 21. ''He loved spending time with his family and would do anything for anybody.''
Matsik grew up in Chatham with his sister, brothers Andrew, Jeff and Nicholas and his parents, Marcia and Gary.
''My brother was the biggest Red Sox fan, he watched every game,'' Carly said. ''He called me the night they won the World Series and he was so unbelievably happy.''
Matsik's sister said Matt also relished attending cookouts with his family.
''He loved to talk about everything,'' she said. ''He was a great, great person.''
It can take more than 20 minutes to walk from where people typically swim at Lighthouse Beach to the coastline where Matsik apparently entered the water.
''It appears that he got caught in a dangerous area where the water is very cold and there's a significant current, Connick said. ''He was out a pretty far distance.''
Lighthouse Beach, the Tombolo and South Beach are not officially designated as town swimming beaches because of the rip currents that can form during both low and high tides, according to Chatham Harbor Master Stuart Smith. Still, this area is one of the more popular places to swim in town because of the vistas of the Chatham bars.
No lifeguards are stationed at Lighthouse Beach, and there are two clearly visible hazard signs that warn people about the unforgiving currents.
There were only a few beachgoers who actually saw Matsik flail for help as he was apparently unable to fight the currents, according to witnesses.
Paul Blanco of Carlisle was boogie-boarding with a friend on the north side of Lighthouse Beach, a few hundred feet from where Matsik was last seen.
Blanco and his friend became tired and flagged a nearby patrol officer from the harbor master's department to take them back to land. Smith said at least one patroller spends a significant amount of time in the waters in front of the Chatham Lighthouse every day.
As the trio rounded the northern tip of Lighthouse Beach toward the shore, they spotted a unidentified man who said he had heard distressed calls from a man now identified as Matsik.
Matsik was swimming near the man around South Beach when he apparently started calling for help, according to that man's wife, who only identified herself as Henrietta from Lexington.
''He was further out than my husband was, and I heard him yelling something from where I was on shore,'' Henrietta said. ''At that point, I couldn't get whether he was saying hello or help.''
The woman said she called 911. Her husband, who also heard the distress calls, stayed in the water to search for Matsik.
Four harbor patrollers and one Coast Guard rescue boat were dispatched into the water. The Coast Guard also deployed a rescue helicopter that scoured the area, according to Connick. The Mid-Cape dive team, which includes rescuers from Chatham, Harwich, Brewster, Dennis and Orleans, aided in the search.
Matsik's body was eventually found 50 to 75 feet from where he was last seen, Smith said.
Matsik's body was taken to the Chatham Fish Pier area while rescuers broke the news to about a half-dozen family members gathered on the deserted beach.
A near death was avoided near ''The Break'' after several boaters pulled a man with hypothermia from 13-foot swells.
Both Smith and the fire captain warned that currents can form even if the surf doesn't appear to be rough. They recommend that beachgoers never swim alone and tell people where they are swimming at all times.
Jason Kolnos can be reached at jkolnos@capecodonline.com.
(Published: August 27, 2005)
BY JASON KOLNOS
STAFF WRITER
CHATHAM - After a dramatic two-hour air and sea search yesterday afternoon, rescuers located the body of a 25-year-old Chatham man who had drowned in waters notorious for treacherous rip currents.
Chatham harbor master patrollers pulled the body of Matthew Matsik from an area known as the Break or the Chatham Bars shortly before 6 p.m.
The Break is the water east of what locals call the Tombolo, a swath of sandy land mass that connects South Beach and the popular Lighthouse Beach.
Matsik's body was found less than a mile from the Chatham Lighthouse and Coast Guard station.
Several hundred beachgoers watched as at least three dozen rescuers from Chatham, the Coast Guard and the Mid-Cape dive team combed the waters that hug Lighthouse Beach, the Tombolo and the northern tip of South Beach.
''This was a very unfortunate accident,'' said Chatham Fire Captain Peter Connick, who headed rescue efforts.
Connick said Matsik, a graduate of Nauset High school and avid Red Sox fan, was last seen alive shortly before 4 p.m. as he was swimming roughly 50 to 100 feet offshore from the southern section of the Tombolo near South Beach.
''He was the most loving, kind and caring person in the world,'' said his sister Carly, 21. ''He loved spending time with his family and would do anything for anybody.''
Matsik grew up in Chatham with his sister, brothers Andrew, Jeff and Nicholas and his parents, Marcia and Gary.
''My brother was the biggest Red Sox fan, he watched every game,'' Carly said. ''He called me the night they won the World Series and he was so unbelievably happy.''
Matsik's sister said Matt also relished attending cookouts with his family.
''He loved to talk about everything,'' she said. ''He was a great, great person.''
It can take more than 20 minutes to walk from where people typically swim at Lighthouse Beach to the coastline where Matsik apparently entered the water.
''It appears that he got caught in a dangerous area where the water is very cold and there's a significant current, Connick said. ''He was out a pretty far distance.''
Lighthouse Beach, the Tombolo and South Beach are not officially designated as town swimming beaches because of the rip currents that can form during both low and high tides, according to Chatham Harbor Master Stuart Smith. Still, this area is one of the more popular places to swim in town because of the vistas of the Chatham bars.
No lifeguards are stationed at Lighthouse Beach, and there are two clearly visible hazard signs that warn people about the unforgiving currents.
There were only a few beachgoers who actually saw Matsik flail for help as he was apparently unable to fight the currents, according to witnesses.
Paul Blanco of Carlisle was boogie-boarding with a friend on the north side of Lighthouse Beach, a few hundred feet from where Matsik was last seen.
Blanco and his friend became tired and flagged a nearby patrol officer from the harbor master's department to take them back to land. Smith said at least one patroller spends a significant amount of time in the waters in front of the Chatham Lighthouse every day.
As the trio rounded the northern tip of Lighthouse Beach toward the shore, they spotted a unidentified man who said he had heard distressed calls from a man now identified as Matsik.
Matsik was swimming near the man around South Beach when he apparently started calling for help, according to that man's wife, who only identified herself as Henrietta from Lexington.
''He was further out than my husband was, and I heard him yelling something from where I was on shore,'' Henrietta said. ''At that point, I couldn't get whether he was saying hello or help.''
The woman said she called 911. Her husband, who also heard the distress calls, stayed in the water to search for Matsik.
Four harbor patrollers and one Coast Guard rescue boat were dispatched into the water. The Coast Guard also deployed a rescue helicopter that scoured the area, according to Connick. The Mid-Cape dive team, which includes rescuers from Chatham, Harwich, Brewster, Dennis and Orleans, aided in the search.
Matsik's body was eventually found 50 to 75 feet from where he was last seen, Smith said.
Matsik's body was taken to the Chatham Fish Pier area while rescuers broke the news to about a half-dozen family members gathered on the deserted beach.
A near death was avoided near ''The Break'' after several boaters pulled a man with hypothermia from 13-foot swells.
Both Smith and the fire captain warned that currents can form even if the surf doesn't appear to be rough. They recommend that beachgoers never swim alone and tell people where they are swimming at all times.
Jason Kolnos can be reached at jkolnos@capecodonline.com.
(Published: August 27, 2005)