Serious injury to a passenger on the sea safari rigid inflatable boat Lundy Explorer
Location: Ilfracombe, England.
Accident Investigation Report 11/2025
Read our marine accident investigation report, which includes what happened, subsequent actions taken and recommendations:
Summary
On 7 June 2023, the rigid inflatable boat (RIB) Lundy Explorer departed Ilfracombe Harbour for a sea safari trip. While leaving the harbour the boat encountered a high wave, which caused it to slam into an oncoming wave. A passenger sitting in a jockey seat in the front of the RIB, where the highest shock loads were experienced, was dislodged from their seat and suffered a fracture of their spinal column that resulted in permanent paralysis.
Safety issues
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the local weather conditions had deteriorated quickly, and this resulted in choppy seas and increased wave heights that Lundy Explorer’s skipper had not expected
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the position of the jockey seats at the front of the boat were unsuitable for single occupancy as they exposed passengers to high shock load as the boat slammed into the waves
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the pre-departure safety briefing did not include adequate instruction on the use of the seats and the passengers were unaware of the risks
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current regulations do not reference safety standards for the design, position and use of seats on high-speed RIBs
Statement from the Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents
Recommendations
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is recommended to extend the anthropometric assessment recommended in MAIB Report 10/2023, the Seadogz report, (recommendation 2023/120) to include vertical impacts resulting from operating high-speed commercial vessels in varied sea conditions and speeds and, in consideration of MAIB Safety Bulletin SB3/2023, include in the forthcoming The Code of Practice for the Safety of Small Vessels in Commercial Use for Sport or Pleasure a requirement to assess and mitigate the risks of seating people in the front third of a rigid inflatable boat or a high-speed boat.
Ilfracombe Sea Safari Limited is recommended to implement a safety management system as recommended in the Passenger Safety On Small Commercial High Speed Craft & Experience Rides – a Voluntary Code of Practice, to include operating procedures detailing pre-departure considerations and what actions to take should the conditions change; a pre-departure safety brief; risk assessments that accurately reflect potential hazards; and use of jockey seats. The company is also recommended, in accordance with MGN 436 (M+F) Amendment 4 – Whole Body Vibration: Guidance on Mitigating Against the Effects of Shocks and Impacts on Small Vessels, to install to all company-owned RIBs sensors that provide real-time measurement of the forces experienced in the boat’s forward section to enable the person at the helm to protect passengers and crew against the effects of vibrations and shocks.
The Royal Yachting Association, British Marine, and the Professional Charter Association are recommended to promulgate this report to their members.
Related publications
MAIB investigation report 10/2023: Seadogz
In 2023, a safety bulletin was also issued, urging owners and operators of small commercial passenger vessels to review their operations and procedures in line with current safety guidance.