Kayak guide took day-trippers out in ‘unsuitable’ conditions before they capsized, investigators find

The guide of a commercial kayaking trip that resulted in two people drifting at sea for around an hour had “no formal training” in the planning or navigation of such an excursion and did not hold an instructor qualification, an investigation into the incident has found.

On Saturday March 19th, 2022 a group of six kayakers set out on a morning’s kayaking trip on Mulroy Bay in Co Donegal, according to detail published by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) in a report into the event.

The trip was a commercial, guided excursion consisting of the trip organiser and five clients. The clients were adults who typically had little or no kayaking experience, a fact the organiser was informed of as they set out.

Only one client wore a wetsuit, while the others wore clothing such as jeans and winter coats. The group got into difficulty when the wind speed increased and the sea state deteriorated.

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Met Éireann forecasted winds of more than 28km/h that morning, which the trip organiser said would normally be too high for him to proceed with a trip. However, in this case, he decided to go out onto the water anyway.

The double kayak capsized but its two clients were able to right the kayak and make their way to one side of the lough. Another two clients, in single kayaks, separately made their own way to the other side of the lough, after one of them capsized and swam for about 20 minutes to reach the shore.

The remaining client and the trip organiser both capsized and lost contact with their kayaks.

They drifted in the water for approximately one hour, isolated about mid-way across the lough, until they were rescued by the Coast Guard. They required hospital treatment before being released later that day.

In its conclusion, the MCIB said the kayaking trip “resulted in a marine casualty event that posed a threat of death or serious injury to persons who had been operating recreational vessels in Irish waters”.

The MCIB said the weather conditions were “unsuitable for this type of kayaking trip”.

“The trip participants lacked the skills needed to be able to manoeuvre the kayaks effectively or safely in the conditions. The trip participants all described how the trip deteriorated when the forecasted wind conditions occurred, leading directly to the capsize of four kayaks,” the report said.

The trip organiser stated that he thought these wind conditions would be suitable for this group, having been told they all had kayaking experience.

The MCIB said the “disregard” for the skills and experience obtained through training and qualifications for a sea kayak instructor was “a major contributory factor” in the event.

“Despite what is suggested by the trip organiser’s website, the trip organiser does not have this instructor qualification, or any equivalent qualification needed to safely lead a sea kayaking group in this environment,” it added.