Accident Database

Report ID#64046

2020-01-29
accident date
Thomas David McKendrick
victim
n/a
victim age
Lake Nahuel Huapi
river
n/a
section
n/a
location
n/a
gage
n/a
water level
N/A
river difficulty
Flush Drowning
cause code(s)
Does not Apply
injury type(s)
Cold Water, Inadequate Equipment, Poor Planning
factors
Private
trip type
Packraft
boat type
status?
status

Description

An Englishman was separated from his packraft while attempting a two-kilometer lake crossing in Argentina. “Nahuel Huapi took them by surprise with violent waves, hit their boats and threw them into the water.” A second boater was able to recover her boat, presumably re-enter, and paddle to shore. She was hypothermic when she reached help. The paddlers were two weeks into a bikepacking trip. The article does not discuss prior experience but mentions that they had life jackets and insufficient insulation layers given the water temperature. The geography of the lake system provides 30 km of wind fetch before the crossing point. One-meter waves were reported on shore after the accident. This is the third open water packraft fatality on record, highlighting the danger of open water crossings. https://thingstolucat.com/2019/08/15/packraft-fatalities/ https://www.bariloche2000.com/noticias/leer/una-travesia-que-termino-en-tragedia-en-el-nahuel-huapi/125234