Life jacket came off kayaker who drowned in waters off Sentosa: Coroner's inquiry

SINGAPORE: A kayaker who was heading to the southern islands off Sentosa had likely drowned when the life jacket she was wearing came off after she capsized, an investigation report revealed on Thursday (Jul 4). 

Ms Chew Jia Tian, a former nurse and founder of a local business, was kayaking with friends off the south of Sentosa on Oct 22, 2023, when she capsized near a line of blue floating security barriers. 

The 33-year-old's body was found two days later, with an autopsy report stating her cause of death as drowning. A post-mortem examination found that she had suffered rib fractures.

Ms Chew's parents and three witnesses were present on the first day of the coroner's inquiry before State Coroner Adam Nakhoda.

The court heard on Thursday that Ms Chew had been wearing a life jacket that she had collected from retailer Decathlon the day before the incident. 

However, Ms Chew had not worn the crotch strap of the device, witnesses said, with one testifying that the strap had likely been faulty.  

Investigating officer from the Police Coast Guard, Station Inspector (SI) Muhammad Ruzaini Osman said that Ms Chew and two companions, Mr Lee Kuok Ming and Mr Loh Kin Huat, had set off from Palawan Beach on the morning of Oct 22, 2023. 

The trio noted that the sea and wind were calm and proceeded from Palawan Beach's shoreline towards Sentosa Cove. 

Mr Lee stayed level with Ms Chew, while Mr Loh, a stronger kayaker, took the lead. A fourth kayaker, Mr Kum Chee Tong, joined them during the trip but remained ahead of Ms Chew. 

As Ms Chew and Mr Lee were nearing a line of blue floating barriers, the latter capsized "due to the unevenness of the sea", said SI Ruzaini.

He could not recover his upright position and instead came out of his kayak and held onto it to stay afloat.

Ms Chew paddled towards him to help and Mr Lee held onto a toggle rope at the back of Ms Chew's kayak. However, she found that she was unable to paddle away from the barrier due to the strong currents.

Mr Lee noticed that Ms Chew's paddling had slowed and he released the rope. He went under the blue barriers into the open sea, losing sight of Ms Chew.

The two other kayakers who were ahead of Mr Lee and Ms Chew were alerted to the incident, but they could not find the pair.

Mr Lee was later rescued by a passing boat but they could not find Ms Chew, finding only her orange kayak. Her life jacket was found later that evening by the Police Coast Guard near Harbour Front.

Ms Chew's body was discovered about two days later.

SI Ruzaini said that Ms Chew – who had a two-star certificate in kayaking – had likely been pinned against the blue barrier and capsized. 

According to her friends, Ms Chew had practised the capsizing drill a few times but had trouble regaining an upright position. 

The drill, called a roll drill, allows kayakers to come back to an upright position in their kayak when they capsize. The roll drill is not compulsory as part of the two-star certification, according to SI Ruzaini.

LIFE JACKET

Referring to evidence from Ms Chew's friends, SI Ruzaini said that her life jacket had looked secured even though the crotch strap was not used. A strap, secured under a user's crotch, is meant to prevent a life jacket from coming off over their head. 

SI Ruzaini said Decathlon also provided input on the life jacket. According to the retailer, a user would need to use the crotch strap, or the life jacket could come off if a user lifted their arms.

When a user capsizes, they are meant to face skywards and hold onto the life jacket with their hands.

With all the buckles fastened properly, there is a slim possibility of the life jacket coming loose, Decathlon said. 

A second witness, principal marine investigator from the Maritime and Port Authority Captain Cheong Kwee Thiam, testified that the crotch strap had been folded in a back pocket of Ms Chew's life jacket when it was found, indicating that it had not been used.

The other end to clip the crotch strap had been missing, so she had likely bought a "defective" life jacket, surmised Captain Cheong. 

"In my opinion, when we use any safety device we should use the full functionality of the safety device, since the personal floatation device (life jacket) came with a crotch strap, in my opinion, we should also use it," said Captain Cheong when asked by the coroner if the crotch strap had to be used. 

Ms Chew's father raised a similar question, with the coroner interjecting to note that a conclusion on the strap could not be made at this point.  

He directed that the life jacket be shown in court at a subsequent hearing. 

FLOATING BARRIER

An expert witness, Singapore Polytechnic lecturer Sahwan Osman, told the court that the floating barriers were to prevent illegal entry into Sentosa. 

With strong tidal conditions, a kayak may be pinned against the barriers. In the "worst case scenario", both kayaker and kayak may be pushed under the sea barriers, he said. 

"If that happens, there is potential of a drowning situation," he added. 

He stressed the need for kayakers to check tidal conditions ahead of their activity.

Kayakers told CNA previously that the area is tricky to navigate due to the fast-moving currents.

They said this was compounded by the blue floating security barrier surrounding the area, which can be a hazard for inexperienced paddlers.

The coroner will deliver his findings at a later date.