Finding into death of Cienna Ros'Se Jervies
Deceased
Cienna Ros'Se Jervies
Demographics
12y, female
Date of death
2023-09-19
Finding date
2025-06-06
Cause of death
Drowning
AI-generated summary
Cienna Ros'Se Jervies, a 12-year-old local resident, drowned at Ocean Grove Beach on 19 September 2023 in treacherous conditions with strong rips and large waves. She became separated from companions while swimming near the water's edge and was caught in a rip approximately 50 metres offshore. Despite courageous rescue efforts by two bystanders, she could not be retrieved until located by police helicopter 40 minutes later and could not be revived. The coroner found no evidence of inadequate signage as a contributing factor given the family's local familiarity, but identified systemic gaps in Victorian water safety governance, beach safety signage standards, and inconsistent emergency marker systems. The coroner recommended developing a practice note similar to NSW's guidance to clarify water safety responsibilities across Victorian councils and land managers.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- strong ocean currents and rips
- large waves in consistent sets
- treacherous water conditions
- absence of lifeguard patrol
- absence of swimming flags
- inadequate beach safety signage condition and content
Coroner's recommendations
- That Emergency Management Victoria consider developing a resource similar to NSW's Practice Note 15: Water Safety under the Victorian State Emergency Plan with a view to clarifying, coordinating and strengthening the water safety functions and responsibilities of Victorian water safety duty holders
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