Three women pleaded with Ocean Angel captain Dylan Nicholas to slow down, warning that they could not swim, but he continued without reducing speed, survivor Elias Nicholas told the Maritime Commission of Inquiry at Parliament on Tuesday.
Testifying as hearings into the deadly July 18, 2026, collision off Anse Cochon continued, the Soufriere fisherman described a journey that ended with a loud impact, a capsized boat and passengers calling for help in the darkness.
Nicholas said he boarded Ocean Angel at the Soufriere jetty sometime after 10 p.m. for a trip to Gros Islet. First mate Tyrone Paul initially operated the vessel before captain Dylan Nicholas, whom the witness identified as his cousin, took over.
According to the witness, the captain told Paul, “Let me show you how to cap,” a phrase explained during the hearing as a local reference to captaining a boat.
Nicholas said Paul had been taking it “easy,” but the vessel travelled faster after the captain assumed control.
He identified Debbie, Roxanne and a woman from Choiseul whose name he did not know as the passengers who complained.
“The girls was telling Dylan, ‘You going too fast. We cannot swim,’” Nicholas testified.
Asked whether the captain listened, he replied, “No, he did not.”
Commissioners returned to that account near the end of his testimony to clarify whether anyone had raised concerns about speed. Nicholas confirmed that, although he had not personally complained, the three women had done so and the captain continued at the same speed.
Nicholas also said he observed no lights on Ocean Angel, either when it departed Soufriere or during the journey. He received no safety briefing and was not given a life jacket to wear.
Seated at the front on the left side, beside Paul, Nicholas said the height of the bow obstructed his view ahead. He did not see an approaching vessel or hear a warning before the collision.
When questioned about a lookout, he initially said he did not know whether anyone was watching ahead for the captain. Under further questioning, he said he saw nobody relaying information to the captain about what lay in front of the boat.
Nicholas estimated that the journey from Soufriere to the collision took about 20 minutes. He placed the change of operator after Anse Chastanet, estimating that the impact occurred roughly 15 to 16 minutes after the captain took over.
“I just heard a loud noise,” he recalled. The next thing he knew, he was in the water and Ocean Angel had capsized.
Nicholas, who said he could swim, grabbed a floating life jacket near the vessel and climbed onto the overturned boat. He saw other people in the water but could not identify their faces or give a precise number.
He recalled hearing a male voice shouting, “Help, help.”
Other people eventually joined him on the capsized vessel, although he could not remember who they were. A rescue boat arrived approximately 15 minutes later, he estimated.
Nicholas said he was taken aboard and subsequently saw Debbie’s body on the rescue vessel. He could not say whether she had been brought aboard before or after him, and clarified that he had not identified her among those on the overturned Ocean Angel.
He was transported to the Canaries jetty, where an ambulance was called. After losing consciousness, his next recollection was waking at Soufriere Hospital.
Nicholas suffered a broken left leg and a head wound. He said surgery on his leg was performed at OKEU Hospital.
His testimony also contained differing descriptions of the vessel’s stability. At one stage, he said it became more unstable under the captain’s control; later, he described it as stable immediately before impact.
Although he earlier said he did not feel safe at the speed, he subsequently told commissioners he was “not really” frightened for his life. Asked why he had not put on a life jacket, he said it had not been on his mind. His focus was reaching the party.
Commissioners also clarified the passenger count. Nicholas initially referred to eight people, but agreed there were nine aboard after the names he supplied were counted, including himself.
He said he had never provided a police statement because no officer had approached him to obtain one.
Before stepping down, Nicholas confirmed that his evidence was truthful and that he had nothing further to add.
