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PaddlingInstructor.com - Canoe and Kayak News, Paddling News, Free Kayak and Canoe Teaching Resources
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Written by David H. Johnston
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Sunday, 24 June 2007 |
Anyone hiring out a kayak should be required to ensure that
it, and the hirer, are well-equipped, says Nelson coroner Ian Smith.
New Zealand - Anyone hiring out a kayak should be required to ensure that
it, and the hirer, are well-equipped, says Nelson coroner Ian Smith.
He has released findings from an inquest into the death of
English tourist Rupert Edward Martin while he was kayaking alone in
Golden Bay on November 5, 2005.
Mr Martin's body was found on
Parapara Beach the day after he took out a kayak supplied by the
Shambhala guesthouse at Onekaka, where he was staying with his partner.
Mr Smith said that when Mr Martin's body was found his
lifejacket had ridden up above his head, suggesting it was neither a
good fit nor well-secured.
The lifejacket did not have a drawstring, the zip was halfway down and neither of the two buckles was fastened, he said.
"Even though the lifejacket was of NZSS standards, it was inappropriate in its use as a kayaking lifejacket."
Mr
Martin was wearing a woollen cardigan and a fleece jacket, but their
insulating effect was compromised by a cotton T-shirt underneath and
cotton jeans.
Mr Smith also concluded that the only safety
equipment Mr Martin had with him was a whistle attached to the
lifejacket, which given the weather, would have been "of little use".
The kayak had no paddle leash, VHF radio or emergency flares, and Mr Martin did not have a cellphone.
"Generally this kayak should be suitable to use in very sheltered conditions, or within 100m of shore.
"The kayak manufacturers should, in my opinion, by law have to state
the safety limitations of the craft and other basic safety information
on kayaking.
"No safety briefing was given and no intentions are known to have been recorded, even with basic information."
Mr
Smith said there were "compelling" similarities between the death of Mr
Martin and that of 37-year-old Mark Stephen Cubbin, who died while
kayaking alone in Tasman Bay on November 3, 2004.
They included
the fact that both men were kayaking solo, the "extreme" delays from
the time the kayakers left the beach to when the alarm was raised, and
the fact that both men drowned secondary to hypothermia.
The
chances of finding Mr Martin earlier would have "considerably
increased" if police had been notified of his absence earlier in the
day.
Mr Smith recommended that all kayak retailers ensure a
paddle leash was fitted to kayaks and a velcro wrap attached to the
centre of the paddle.
He also recommended that kayakers be
encouraged to dress appropriately for cold-water immersion, check the
local marine forecast before launching, carry suitable rescue
signalling equipment and fill out an intention form before leaving.
He
wants the recommendations to be mandatory for anyone hiring out kayaks,
and recommended that kayak safety information packs, put together by
police search and rescue team-member Senior Constable Hamish Blanch, be
distributed as widely as possible.
Mr Smith ruled that Mr Martin died of accidental drowning secondary to hypothermia.
Source: stuff.co.nz
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