Ethan Fitzpatrick drowned at Lake Rotoma in 2020. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
A coroner has called for a code of practice for snorkelling following the death of a boy on a school trip in March 2020.
Ethan Fitzpatrick, 16, drowned after getting into difficulty at an outdoor education session at Lake Rotoma, near Rotorua.
He was in Year 12 at Tarawera High School, a competent swimmer and had achieved NCEA unit standard, Snorkelling Level 2.
On the day he died, he was with a group of 15 students and two teachers.
Coroner Matthew Bates said the boy was unobserved for approximately 15 to 25 seconds and somehow got into difficulty and inhaled water and became unresponsive.
At the time he was practicing duck-diving with a paired buddy.
After he was founded to be distressed he was taken out of the water.
Members of the public including an off-duty emergency medical technician and firefighter started CPR. The resuscitation efforts lasted up to an hour after emergency services arrived, but Ethan never regained consciousness and died at the scene.
A subsequent WorkSafe investigation found the school failed to undertake effective emergency planning and ensure effective supervision.
The coroner said there was unreliable phone coverage in the area and a teacher had to drive half a kilometre to call emergency services.
He said there is no evidence to determine whether or not immediate communication would have altered the outcome for Ethan.
The coroner's inquest heard that New Zealand does not have any specific guidance for open-water snorkelling.
Bates said the Queensland code of practice would be suitable for New Zealand to achieve regulated standards of health, safety and welfare for snorkelling and recreational diving.
He said the Queensland code centralises and simplifies the obligations of duty holders.
''In the present example that would capture the school Board of Trustees, EOTC Co-ordinator and instructors, teachers and supervisors.''
The coroner has also called for easy access to a defibrillator at education outside of the classroom activities.