A father of two, Iain Farrell, died after being knocked off a ledge into the sea on a coasteering trip near Swanage, Dorset, in May 2019. Farrell was one of nine participants on a commercially-run trip organized by adventure activity firm Land & Wave. The others, including his two sons, were rescued by a lifeboat. Farrell was soon overwhelmed by the sea and became breathless. The guide, Charles Ridley, towed him to a ledge, but a large wave swept Farrell back into the sea, the jury was told. Ridley dived back in to recover him and began CPR, but Farrell died having never regained consciousness.
During the hearing, the safety plans for the excursion were examined in court to ascertain whether they were sound. The company’s former director, David Mutton, was questioned by the coroner about safety procedures. He told the inquest that it wasn’t necessary for guides to ask participants about their sea swimming confidence, to carry a VHF radio, or to work with an assistant. Farrell’s brother, Matthew, said the father “was arguably exposed to serious errors of judgment.” He added that his brother’s survival would have been guaranteed if he had been prevented from coasteering by the company or instructor.
The jury in the inquest concluded that Farrell died as a result of misadventure and “inhaled sea water after becoming breathless during a swim. After he was recovered to a ledge, a large wave swept him back in. This occurred in a challenging sea state.” In his statement, Brendan Allen, the Dorset coroner, praised the bravery of the coasteering instructors, RNLI and coastguards, and others involved.
After the verdict, Land & Wave issued a statement in which the company expressed condolences to Mr. Farrell’s family and friends and said that its “thoughts remain with Iain’s family and friends.” The company added that it had assisted the coroner throughout the inquest and acknowledged that it must have been “an impossibly long four years” for the family waiting for results
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