Report into Cork drowning finds adverse weather and rough waters a factor

Kodie Healy, 24, from Goleen, failed to return from a fishing trip in Dunmanus Bay on October 9, 2019

Fisherman Kodie Healy, who drowned in Dunmanus Bay on October 2019. File Picture.

A vessel which sank off the coast of Cork, resulting in the death of a 24-year-old, was most likely overwhelmed by rough waters, a report has found.

Kodie Healy, 24, from Goleen, West Cork, failed to return from a fishing trip in Dunmanus Bay on October 9, 2019.

A report into the fatal incident by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board found that the “most probable” cause was that Mr Healy fell overboard from the Tommy R close to the north-west shore of Carbery Island.

“The Tommy R steering would have been uncontrolled and the boat would have come into close proximity of the Carbery Breaker or the seas north-west of Carbery Island," states the report. 

"The boat would then have been overwhelmed, broken up, and sunk by a breaking sea."

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) also believes Mr Healy was not wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) at the time of the incident.

According to the report, there were a number of factors that contributed to the loss of the casualty and the boat. These include that the weather was adverse, there was a small craft warning in operation, and the seas were rough in Dunmanus Bay.

Mr Healy, a lobster fisherman, was “operating on his own in very dangerous seas off Carbery Breaker and Carbery Island”. 

“The casualty was not wearing a PFD” and “the vessel was not suitable for the sea conditions existing in the vicinity of Carbery Island on the day".  

According to the report, the pathologist’s  autopsy report provided to the MCIB states that the main findings were “in keeping with acute cardio-respiratory failure due to drowning”.

MCIB issued a number of safety warnings in the wake of the investigation into the incident.

It said: “The Minister for Transport should issue a marine notice reminding the operators of recreational craft that it is a statutory requirement to wear a PFD when on the deck of a vessel of less than 7m in length overall.

“The owners and operators of recreational craft should observe and comply with the recommendations contained in the Code of Practice: The Safe Operation of Recreational Craft (2017).” 

Mr Healy’s body was found on Sunday, October 13, four days after he was reported missing. His body was found after a large scale search operation, which included Irish Coast Guard units from Goleen, Schull, Toe Head, and Castletownbere joined with hundreds of locals to comb the coastline, while Castletownbere RNLI Annette Hutton also joined in the search operation.