‘He was a jokester and a prankster’: Heartbroken daughter grieves man drowned in Long Island’s blue hole

Though somber, the daughter of Douglas McHardy is breathing a sigh of relief his body was found in the waters of Dean’s Blue Hole in Long Island, Bahamas.

After three days of intense searching, Nakita Headley grieves her father and remembers him as a “jokester and a prankster.”

“I’m going to lean on the laughter and jokes for comfort because if I think of anything else, my heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest.”

Douglas McHardy, a local fisherman and experienced diver, was found 600 feet below sea level after a search spanned several days. The Royal Bahamas Police Force, alongside the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, searched with the aid of an unmanned submersible drone, which ultimately led to the heartbreaking find.

The incident occurred shortly after McHardy attended the funeral of his mother-in-law, and went to the beach with Headley and his grandchildren.

Headley remembers he kept saying, “Now Kita hold on to my grand babies. Don’t let them drown.”

She then moved closer to the shore and soon left to retrieve something from her vehicle. Not long after she returned, he disappeared.

Headley said he was swimming in an area adjacent to the hole and swam across the blue hole to the other side, near the shallow edge.

“One minute he was on top of the water and the next minute he wasn’t.”

Headley said she cherished her father.

“I truly am so proud to be a product of your nurture and love. Not a man of many words but when you did, it would most likely be something you enjoyed talking about…once you start you would not shut up and would repeat the same things over and over. What I wouldn’t do to hear you now so I could roll my eyes to the sky,” she said in a social media post.”

The community of Long Island is also in mourning, as McHardy was a well-known figure, respected for his skills at sea and his jovial nature.

Agnes Write remembers, “He was a hardworking man, always busy and happy.”

Clinto Ritchie said, “He was a great man. Dougie was always humble, hardworking, and loved and supported by his family unconditionally.”

“Dougie was very full of life. Always joyful. You will be missed on Long Island,” Adrian Darville echoed.

Melshalique Knowles said, “He was one of a kind and always happy and pleasant, never a bad word said about him. I will miss Sundays with him and shopping and talking a bunch of foolishness. [He was] such a sweet soul.”

As the island grapples with this loss, the police are coordinating with deep water specialists to safely recover McHardy’s remains.

The family has expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support.

Feature picture credit: Nakita Headley FB page