Death of popular teacher who drowned on annual rafting trip was preventable, coroner finds

Thursday, 3 December 2020

Julie Zarifeh talks about how she coped with losing her husband and son within weeks of each other in 2017. (Video first published October 2018).

The family of a popular school teacher killed when an annual rafting trip turned to tragedy are busy living “hard and fast and happy” to honour his memory.

Sam Zarifeh, a physical education teacher at Christchurch Boys’ High School, died on a whitewater rafting trip on the West Coast’s Landsborough River in December 2017, taken with fellow staff to celebrate the end of the school year.

A coroner’s report into his death found the 27-year-old drowned after the raft he was sharing with four others flipped and plunged into a gorge on the river, near Haast.

Coroner Alexandra Cunninghame said that while she was not seeking to lay blame on anyone, his death was preventable and that the group could have better assessed the water conditions.

Christchurch teacher Sam Zarifeh died after his raft overturned on the Landsborough River on the West Coast.

The river was dangerously high at the time – so much that a commercial rafting group chose not to venture out – and the focus of four rescue kayakers had been on retrieving the raft rather than rescuing the rafters, she found.

This led to Zarifeh being exposed to cold water for too long, which likely affected his ability to stay afloat.

It was a double blow for his family, with his mother Julie and siblings losing their father Paul to pancreatic cancer 16 days earlier.

* Julie Zarifeh's husband and son died 16 days apart - but grief isn't the end of her life

* Christchurch teacher Sam Zarifeh died while on celebratory rafting trip

Zarifeh was considered to be very fit, but was an inexperienced rafter.

Julie said there were no surprises in the report, which she found “reassuring, in a way”.

“I agree with the recommendations, but it’s not rocket science. Things could’ve been done better. However, I do feel incredibly sorry for the people that were on that trip with Sam.”

Julie said looking back, it is hard to believe it has been three years since his death.

“You grieve, but we’ve had massive support and we’ve done some really cool things in Sam’s memory.”

The trip was a school tradition stretching back 20 years.

Just two months after losing her husband and son, Julie Zarifeh cycled 450km across Sri Lanka and raised enough funds to supply 45 children with new bikes through the charity Variety.

Zarifeh, nephew of Crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh, who led the case again the Christchurch mosque terrorist, had been working at the school for two years.

On the weekend of December 9, he was among a group of nine of varying levels of experience who were rafting and kayaking down the Landsborough River. Two others were to be flown in the next day.

The group arrived at a section called Kea Flat by helicopter on December 8, when river levels looked quite low.

Julie Zarifeh with son, Sam, and husband, Paul, who died within 16 days of each other in late 2017.

Heavy rain overnight led to the river becoming substantially higher, but the group decided to set out after a safety discussion.

All had helmets and personal flotation devices, and the four kayakers were carrying throw bags containing ropes to assist swimmers.

Five men were on the raft, including Zarifeh.

After stopping twice in the first few kilometres, disaster struck as the raft hit a water feature known as a “hole” while the river was in flood, spinning it sideways and flipping it.

The Landsborough River runs from the Southern Alps to Haast on the West Coast.

All five men were thrown off, but they managed to grab ropes around the raft and climb aboard as the raft barrelled downriver.

One kayaker stopped and tried to get a throw bag ready, but the raft shot past and disappeared. Another also tried to help in vain.

The raft rocketed past where the group planned to stop for the day, towards an area known as Roaring Lion Gorge, which contains more serious grade four and five rapids.

Two men fell off and swam for shore, both reaching safety.

Zarifeh and another man were “holding on for dear life,” when the raft hit another hole, throwing Zarifeh into the rapids.

His companion tried to pull him back up, but he too was thrown off before managing to swim to safety.

A mass “paddle out” for Paul Zarifeh at Sumner Beach was one of the ways Julie Zarifeh commemorated her family.

Zarifeh's body was later spotted on a bank by a helicopter pilot.

The coroner found no defects with the raft or gear, though an industry expert who gave testimony said it was too heavy and would have made steering difficult.

He suggested an experienced guide could have stopped the raft flipping, and professional support kayakers could have helped change the outcome.

But the second expert said he did not know whether a professional could have stopped the accident.

Christchurch Boys’ High School principal Nic Hill says staff still gather every year to remember Zarifeh.

He also noted the group’s focus seemed to be on retrieving the raft, rather than prioritising rescuing the rafters – who he considered “highly likely” to be incapacitated by the cold water.

Cunninghame fell short of backing the opinion that a professional guide should have come on the trip.

“To make such criticism would imply that the rivers in this country cannot be explored except by way of a commercial expedition led by a guide …

“Such requirements would require someone with regulatory oversight and an enforcement and compliance regime.

“Unexpected challenges can arise in the outdoors. What is important is that recreational river users are appropriately experienced so that if mishaps occur, they can utilise the best rescue methods available.”

She recommended recreational rafters consider taking nationally recognised whitewater safety courses and raft guide training, and also suggested a common sense approach of checking forecasts and conditions, and practising safety drills before setting off.

Julie Zarifeh said while there are some sad moments, her family is doing well now.

“My other son, Jared, had a baby boy last year, and he’ll be 1 this month. Being a grandmother is so rewarding, and it’s really changed the tone of December for us.”

The family organise the annual Sumner Village community midwinter swim in Sam and Paul’s memory, and Julie’s book Grief On The Run will be released in March.

Staff at Christchurch Boys’ High School also get together every year to remember Zarifeh, but there is no more annual rafting trip.

“Sam is very fondly remembered by the entire school community. We miss him,” said principal Nic Hill.

“We also continue to think about his family and his very close friends on the staff.

“He had an immensely positive attitude and was very family and community oriented. He could make friends with anyone and was great company.”

A memorial tree has been planted at the Adams House boarding hostel, where Zarifeh lived and worked, and his photo is also on display.