Finding into death of Daniel Michael Miles

26y · Male·Drowning

Daniel Miles, a 26-year-old man, drowned after being washed off rocks into the ocean while rock fishing at Cape Bridgewater in rough conditions (8-10 foot waves). He was not wearing a life jacket and was fishing from a steep, inaccessible rock platform 30 metres down a cliff face. Post-mortem examination revealed mild coronary atherosclerosis unusual for his age, and toxicology detected alcohol and cannabis, though these were not deemed causal. The coroner found the death preventable and noted that none of 15 other Victorian rock-fishing deaths had involved life jacket use. The coroner recommended mandatory personal flotation device (PFD) legislation for rock fishers, citing successful prevention strategies adopted in NSW and the poor uptake of voluntary safety messaging.