Inquest into the Suspected Death of Monitake Starr KARAKAUA
Deceased
Monitake Starr Karakaua
Demographics
29y, male
Date of death
2025-04-25
Finding date
2026-08-10
Cause of death
drowning
AI-generated summary
Monitake Karakaua, age 29, died by drowning on 25 April 2025 after being swept from rocks at Salmon Holes, a notoriously dangerous fishing location south of Albany, Western Australia. While fishing with family and friends during Anzac Day, he was struck by a large wave and washed into rough ocean conditions. Although wearing a mandatory lifejacket, he was unable to inflate it despite attempts to do so—whether due to equipment failure or user error remains unclear. Witnesses observed him struggling in the water before strong currents carried him offshore, and he was last seen floating face down before disappearing. An extensive six-day search and rescue operation involving multiple agencies found no remains. Expert evidence established he most likely died at or shortly after he was last seen. The coroner emphasised that while lifejackets are mandatory and better than nothing, they can create false security, and the safest option is fishing from the beach rather than rocks.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Large wave action sweeping fisherman from rocks
- Rough ocean conditions with 2.6m swell and strong currents
- Lifejacket failure or inability to activate it
- No footwear (barefoot while others with shoes stayed on rocks)
- High-risk fishing location with unpredictable waves and strong rips
- First time at the location with limited experience of hazards
Full text
Related cases
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. All court orders for redaction and non-publication are respected; documents with technically defective redaction have been excluded from the database entirely. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction —