On Thursday Nov 7, a 50 year old man died while trying to rescue a tourist who was swimming in the sea off of White Beach.
The man was identified by local police as Roberto Baisas, a resident of Sta. Cruz, Laguna. Mr Baisas was visiting Boracay with his family as tourists.
A police spokesman said that Baisas was walking along the shore when he saw a man in distress in the rough seas. The swimmer was James Alfafara, a 20 year old tourist from Cebu.
Mr Baisas entered the sea and swam toward Alfafara, but strong waves swept both of them back out to the sea.
Members of the local Paddle Board Association who were close by managed to reach the two swimmers and bring them back to the beachfront. Mr Baisas was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.