A coronial inquest has recommended South Australia mandates safety equipment on commercial snorkelling tours following the drowning death of a tourist.
Key points:
- Ardebby Oh Chua drowned while taking part on an Adventure Bay Charter
- Ms Chua's cause of death was found to be "salt water drowning"
- The coroner recommended businesses conducting snorkelling activities should carry an emergency oxygen unit
Ardebby Oh Chua, 41, drowned while taking part on an Adventure Bay Charter tour near Port Lincoln in 2017.
She was visiting with her brother and sister from the Philippines.
Coroner Naomi Kereru handed down her findings into the death of Ms Chua on Tuesday afternoon, where she recommended that "businesses conducting snorkelling activities to carry an emergency oxygen unit as part of their first aid supplies".
The inquest heard that during the tour, Ms Chua gave a "big smile" and "thumbs up" in the water with a snorkel apparatus fitted but around 40 minutes later, she was found five metres from the group unresponsive and with her face down in the water.
"A surfboard or backboard would have assisted in retrieving Ms Chua back to the boat more quickly than she was. One was not available," Coroner Kereru's report said.
"The time between Ms Chua being found unresponsive and being retrieved to the boat was between 18 and 30 minutes."
Ms Chua's cause of death was found to be "salt water drowning".
Coroner Kereru said that her chances of survival were decreased by a lack of safety equipment.
"Upon being found unresponsive, Ms Chua should have been retrieved immediately back to the boat, where effective resuscitation could be attempted. This would have improved her chances of survival," Coroner Kereru's report said.
She recommended that South Australia change its legislation to make safety equipment mandatory.
"South Australia's recreational snorkelling industry is not formally regulated, unlike the industry in Queensland," Coroner Kereru's recommendations said.
"I have found that an Automated External Defibrillator would not have altered the outcome in Ms Chua's case given her cause of death.
"However it is important to acknowledge that had Ms Chua been retrieved to the boat within a few minutes of being found unresponsive, her death may have been prevented."