Search Ends, but Questions Mount After Fatal Puerto Aventuras Jet Ski Trip

Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo — A tourist from Monterrey was found dead and a local guide was rescued alive after the two men disappeared during a group jet ski trip from Puerto Aventuras toward Cozumel.

Although the search has ended, authorities have not released a detailed account explaining how one personal watercraft carrying two people became separated from an organized outing reportedly involving approximately 80 participants.

Francisco Enrique Huerta Martínez, 51, and 28-year-old guide José Eduardo C.A. departed Puerto Aventuras on Sunday, Sept. 6, as part of a large recreational group traveling aboard approximately 40 personal watercraft, according to national media reports.

The group reportedly encountered bad weather and turned back before reaching Cozumel. Preliminary accounts indicate that the jet ski carrying Huerta and José Eduardo developed a mechanical problem and fell behind. The remaining participants returned to Puerto Aventuras. Huerta and the guide did not.

Guide rescued near Isla Contoy

Fishermen aboard a private vessel named Osiris found José Eduardo alive on Wednesday, Sept. 9. He was drifting in open water north of Isla Contoy, far from the route between Puerto Aventuras and Cozumel.

The guide was taken to the Regional Port Captain’s dock in Puerto Juárez. Navy medical personnel determined that he was suffering from severe dehydration, and Red Cross paramedics transported him to a hospital in Cancún for further treatment.

Reports indicate that José Eduardo spent approximately three days at sea. No public statement from him has been located describing the mechanical problem, the weather conditions or what happened after the jet ski became separated from the group.

During the search, the Mexican Navy recovered a partially submerged personal watercraft north of Isla Contoy. It was placed in the custody of the Puerto Juárez Port Captain’s Office for examination.

Huerta’s body recovered near Holbox

On Thursday, Sept. 10, the Holbox Port Captain’s Office received a report of a body floating near the island. The Navy dispatched a Defender rescue boat and a King Air surveillance aircraft to the area.

Naval personnel recovered the body and transported it to Puerto Juárez for forensic procedures. Subsequent reports identified the deceased as Huerta, although authorities initially said formal identification and medical examinations were still underway. No official cause of death has been released.

The recovery brought a large air-and-sea operation to an end. The search involved three Navy Defender boats, two personal watercraft, the offshore patrol vessel Veracruz, an MLB-103 rescue craft and a King Air aircraft. Two helicopters from the Quintana Roo Secretariat of Citizen Security also participated, along with port authorities, emergency agencies and members of the local maritime community.

Search teams used the Navy’s Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System to calculate probable drift patterns and establish search areas.

Organizers have not been publicly identified

Authorities have not identified the organizer of the excursion or the company that provided the guide and personal watercraft. No participant or support-boat operator appears to have publicly described what happened during the group’s return to Puerto Aventuras.

It remains unclear whether the excursion had an escort boat, how organizers kept track of the approximately 40 watercraft or when they realized that Huerta and José Eduardo had not returned.

Authorities also have not said whether the disabled jet ski carried a radio, GPS tracker, emergency beacon or flares. There has been no official explanation of whether anyone attempted to assist or tow the watercraft before the group returned to shore.

Towing a jet ski can be unsafe or impractical in rough seas. Without accounts from those involved, it is not possible to determine what assistance could have been provided under the conditions at the time.

Reports of a storm and mechanical failure remain preliminary. Authorities have not published the results of an inspection of the recovered watercraft or released a timeline showing when the men became separated, when their absence was discovered and when maritime officials were notified.

Safety procedures under scrutiny

The incident raises questions about the procedures used for organized personal-watercraft trips across open water. Such excursions ordinarily require a way to account for participants, maintain communication and respond when a watercraft develops a problem or falls behind. Authorities have not said what procedures were in place during the Sept. 6 outing or whether they were followed.

They also have not announced whether the organizer, watercraft provider or guide operator is under investigation.

The Navy located the guide, recovered Huerta’s body and secured the disabled jet ski. Investigators have yet to publicly explain how the rest of the group returned to Puerto Aventuras without the two men or how much time passed before the search began.