Yoga Teacher and Mother, 42, Dies After Being Caught in Rip Current in the Dominican Republic
A Pennsylvania woman who went out for a swim in the Dominican Republic tragically died this week after she got caught in an aggressive rip current.
With the tragedy, Surely Miller sadly joins the list of at least six American tourists who have passed away while vacationing on the Carribean island since 2018.
On Tuesday, Miller, a yoga teacher and mom of three, decided to go for a swim near coastal city Puerto Plata, Dominican Today reports.
Unfortunately, while enjoying the waters in Cabarete, Miller, 42, was swept up by a powerful marine current and carried more than two miles from the shore.
On the beach, a friend of Miller’s helplessly watched as the Pennsylvania native threw her hands in the hair and attempted to get help while she was dragged out to sea, according to the outlet.
Unfortunately, it was too late as the yoga instructor eventually vanished in the waters. Her body was recovered by a local fisherman one day later, on Wednesday, in Malecón.
Miller’s body was examined by local doctor Ruth Esther Rosario before being transported to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF) in Santiago de Los Caballeros to be further examined, Dominican Today reports.
Following the tragedy, Miller’s friends confirmed her death in a GoFundMe page, launched as an effort to provide financial support for her three sons: Dylan, 15; Mylz, 11; and Preston, 9. In less than a day, it has raised over $3,600.
“Surely has blessed so many of us with her warm healing touch and the best thing we can do for her now is [to] make sure her children are taken care of,” the GoFundMe campaign reads. “Let’s give back to Surely and help in a way she no longer can by ensuring the well being of her children.”
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On the campaign’s page, many of Miller’s loved ones paid tribute to the yoga instructor with sweet notes and messages.
“The most beautiful soul I’ve ever met. Her love will live in me forever,” someone wrote, while another added, “She had such a lasting impact… We will all miss her kind loving healing energy.”
Tribe Yoga, the local yoga studio where Miller taught classes, also confirmed her passing in a post on Facebook.
In addition to sharing the sad news, Tribe Yoga announced that they would be holding an Ashtanga class — the same type of yoga Miller was trained in — to honor their “beloved friend and teacher” and “her beautiful spirit.”
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Miller owned a studio named Surely Yoga in Slatington, Pennsylvania, where she taught Ashtanga, Hot Yoga and Vinyasa Flow styles, according to her website.
Her classes, which were filled with technique and alignment cues, were aimed at helping others “intelligently know and heal their bodies, and source their own power to heal through their practice,” her website reads.
In addition to teaching in Pennsylvania, Miller’s website says she studied her craft in New York, Miami, Orlando, Allentown, Washington, D.C., Dominican Republic, Tulum, Mexico and “has been to South India multiple times for intensive yoga studies.”
