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On Friday, February 24, a surfer was run over by a fishing boat at Playa de la Rinconada in the town of Cobquecura, Chile. The surfer, identified as 34-year-old Javiera Ortiz, passed away from her injuries.
Video that surfaced on social media of the accident shows a fishing boat approaching the shore at high speed in order to beach itself on the sand. Seconds before reaching the shoreline, the boat impacted Ortiz who was surfing. Local authorities report that there is an investigation underway regarding the death.
“This accident has created a lot of commotion and sadness in the community, and it has reminded us to take extreme precautions in aquatic activities,” said the Rinconada de Taucú Surf Club in a statement. “We urge that surfers and boat drivers respect safety norms and be aware of their surroundings to avoid accidents.”
“The surf community reaffirms our commitment to water safety and requests that there is a substantial improvement in the entry and exit of boats into the ocean,” the statement reads. “Let this tragic accident serve as a call to reflection and prevention to avoid future losses.”
The accident stirred a debate in the surfing and fishing communities. The president of the local fishing union, Palmire Bastías, blamed the surfers.
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“Surfers are very stubborn,” said Bastías. “The boats give all the signals, they go around and around so that they can see the boat, but (the surfers) ignore everything, and unfortunately when they see a wave they ride it, they don’t care if the boat is coming to ground (on the beach), they just ride it.”
“In this case the fisherman didn’t see anything,” added Bastías. “When a fisherman is riding a wave it’s impossible to see a person in the water. But (the surfer) can see the boat because the boat is huge compared to them. Even so, they don’t respect (the boat).”
Ortiz, originally from Rancagua, Chile, moved to Cobquecura two years ago where she was an avid surfer. She had an active social media presence with 61,000 Instagram followers where she would display her knitting work and lifestyle.
“I’m not a professional surfer or anything like that,” she wrote in 2022. “For me surfing is to face my fear of water day by day and continue to overcome it. Sometimes we are afraid of many things, but we have to jump into the pool and keep paddling.”
