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Vener Urena stays afloat
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Posted on Nov 24 2006
“Sink or swim” pretty much determined life for Vener Urena, a lifeguard at the Saipan World Resort.
The son of a ship captain, Urena learned to swim as a little boy growing up in the coastal city of Tacloban in central Philippines. He and his brothers were playing one day at a family-owned boat when the eldest pushed him and the others into the water. He slapped and kicked the water to stay afloat, and he did. The water has been his best friend since.
Now a certified lifeguard, Urena starts every day with a swim. By 7am, he leaves the World Resort beach and heads to one of the rusted amphibious tanks sitting in the lagoon just off of Kilili Beach in Susupe. He is normally back to shore in 12 minutes.
The early morning swim workout keeps him in shape and gets him ready for the day’s work.
“Being a lifeguard, you always have to be alert. It’s a big responsibility. And if something happens, it is not only your name that is at risk, but the name of the company you work for,” Urena said.
A recent incident at the World Resort’s Wave Jungle tested Urena and he did not disappoint.
On Oct. 28, 2006, an eight-year-old girl nearly drowned at the slide catch pool. She was unconscious when another lifeguard, Frank Yoshida, lifted her out of the water. Although the area was not part of his responsibility, Urena rushed to assist and gave the girl rescue breaths. The girl responded soon after and she was taken by emergency personnel to the Commonwealth Health Center. The girl was allowed to go home in two hours.
Urena and Yoshida were both recognized for their heroic act. Each received a certificate and a gift from World Resort’s vice president and general manager B.K. Park.
