Finding into death of Gensheng Zhao
Deceased
Gensheng Zhao
Demographics
56y, male
Date of death
2024-01-12
Finding date
2025-11-06
Cause of death
DROWNING
AI-generated summary
A 56-year-old man drowned while snorkelling and freediving off Seal Island in Bass Strait. He was wearing a weighted belt without a buoyancy compensation device or emergency flotation aid, which made it difficult to remain at the surface and escape when fatigued. He lost his fins during the incident, further impeding his ability to surface. The coroner emphasised that weight belts used in snorkelling must have reliable quick-release buckles and that emergency flotation devices should be considered. Safety messaging should stress dumping the weight belt without hesitation when in difficulty. The case highlights overrepresentation of culturally and linguistically diverse populations in Victorian drowning deaths, necessitating improved water safety campaigns targeting these communities.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Contributing factors
- use of weighted belt without buoyancy compensation device
- lack of emergency flotation device
- fatigue while snorkelling and freediving
- loss of fins during incident
- weighted belt made it difficult to remain at surface without effort
- weighted belt made it difficult to return to surface
Coroner's recommendations
- Weight belts used in snorkelling or freediving must be designed with ease of dumping as the first priority
- Construction, material, and placement of weights should reduce likelihood of belt slipping around body
- Buckle design must ensure entire belt is released without catching when activated
- Buckle profile must be easy to manipulate even with heavily gloved fingers
- Swimmers should select high-quality belts they can dump quickly and easily
- Safety messages should emphasise dumping weight belt without hesitation if swimmer is in any difficulty
- Swimmers snorkelling or freediving should consider wearing an emergency flotation device
- Water safety organisations should review effectiveness of safety messaging and programs regularly
- Campaigns must target culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds which are overrepresented in drowning statistics
- Government agencies and organisations with water safety roles should update campaigns to reach multicultural populations
Full text
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