If the person missing were a local islander, you might have a point, but the person missing is a time driven American.
But that doesn't change how an islander processes the information. A trained PO should take that into account but we're talking about 'beach patrol'...grunts, I'd presume, who probably aren't highly trained. Aruba is a small island with a resident population of under 100,000.
What time was the beach patrol person notified? Is this a fact or a rumor?
It's from Diehl's timeline. There are few facts known in this case so the category is rumor. Quote & link follows. I'd suggest backtracking & trying to find out when the students' return flight landed back in Alabama to approximate when they left Aruba. Or check airline schedules?
...seniors were expected to be in the lobby of the Holiday Inn by 10:30 on Monday morning to assemble for the journey home... Local police were first notified of the situation at approximately 11:30 AM, one hour after the seniors scheduled departure from the hotel lobby. A member of the beach patrol was dispatched to take a report and collect a copy of her passport for identification purposes...Hotel staff interacted with the chaperone, answering questions and putting forth possible explanations prior to the travel agent for the trip being contacted at approximately 2PM. That is believed to be close to the time of the departing flight, though the exact time of the flight is unconfirmed...
I suspect that the flight left earlier than 2 PM. Small island & it can't take all that long to get to the airport. Or, possibly they had a scheduled lunch stop? OTOH, it was a large group...over 100, I think, so allowing 3.5 hours to get everyone gathered & processed may not be unreasonable.
Their flight was for 8:30 am if I recall correctly.
If the flight was at 2, it was international so I expect they want them at the gate 2 hours early. The islands airports are inefficient, ticketing agents take forever to check things, our tickets are always screwed up.
So to be there at noon, handle luggage, etc, it would take a while. And factored in was probably the expectation that kids would be late, they always are. So they gathered at 1030 expecting to leave at 11 to get to airport around 1115 to 1130 giving them some safe time to lose.