THE drowning of Mr Levin Angsana, 22, in the sea off Raffles Marina was an unfortunate accident, said the State Coroner on Tuesday when he recorded a verdict of misadventure.

State Coroner Victor Yeo described the death of the Singapore Management University student as tragic and said the evidence clearly showed that Mr Angsana's team-mates had rendered all the aid they could after the Indonesian had fallen overboard on July 3 last year.

Son's death a safety reminder to all: Dad ALTHOUGH Mr Levin Angsana's death was ruled an accident, his father Heryadi Angsana, 56, is certain about one thing - that he does not want his son's death to be in vain. The 22-year-old, a member of the Singapore Management University's Sailing Club, drowned last July during training. ... more

'Despite ex-national sailor Renfred Tay's courageous efforts of diving into the water immediately to help Levin, Levin disappeared under the water during a critical moment when Renfred swam away to retrieve the life jacket.'

He said that taking into account the weather conditions and the adequate life-saving equipment on board...'there was nothing to suggest the sailors had recklessly disregarded or displayed a lackadaisical attitude towards their own personal safety during their training'.

The unequivocal evidence, he added, showed that the first-year information systems student had accidentally fallen overboard, and despite the best efforts of his team to help him get back on the boat, and Mr Tay's repeated attempts to help him stay afloat, Mr Angsana eventually drowned before he could be rescued.

'The irrefutable evidence adduced at this inquiry is that Renfred had tried his utmost best to help Levin stay afloat, so much so that he allowed Levin to press him into the water several times in order to stay afloat,' said the coroner.

The inquiry was told that Mr Angsana was training with four team-mates on a keelboat when he fell overboard while trying to retrieve a fallen sail.

Mr Angsana had obtained his Level 1 dinghy proficiency certification, the most basic sailing licence, in 2007.

To get it, he had to show that he could sail solo and swim 50m in open water while wearing a life jacket.

The team was not wearing life jackets that day as it was not compulsory. Sailors have to don life jackets only when an International Code Flag Y is hoisted during racing events, the court heard.

After he had fallen overboard, Mr Angsana's team-mates had tried to pull him up but he fell back again. When Mr Renfred Tay, then 23, realised that Mr Angsana could not swim, he immediately jumped into the water to help him.

While waiting for rescue, Mr Tay swam towards a life jacket thrown into the water by the other sailors. He realised that Mr Angsana was nowhere to be seen after that. Mr Angsana's body was found floating in the sea two days later.