Gippsland dad Terry Chandler was drinking, smoking cannabis, before taking tinny out in dangerous conditions with his children

Inexperienced and intoxicated Terry Chandler ignored warnings that it was too dangerous to head out fishing with his children the night he died.

A loving Gippsland dad drowned on a birthday camping trip after going night fishing in his old tinny in rough weather while wearing a broken life jacket after drinking half a bottle of home-brew whisky, an coroner has found.

Terry Chandler, 42, of Nambrok, drowned of McLoughlins Beach at Woodside in January 2021, prompting tributes that he was “always the life of the party”.

Coronial findings into his death revealed he drank half a litre of hard liquor between 10am and noon.

He part-owned a 3.7m tinny, but his widow, Rhiannon Bruce, told investigators he had not done any boating in the 11 years they had been together and a coronial investigation found he did not have a boating licence.

On the trip, Ms Bruce said conditions were “windy and the surf was too big” for boating.

She told investigators the wind died down around 10pm but the surf remained too big.

She urged Mr Chandler not to take their children out night fishing, but he steadfastly told her he “had been out in worse conditions”.

Terry Chandler has been remembered as “the life of the party”.

Shortly after midnight, Mr Chandler motored about 200m offshore, but the tinny capsized when it was struck by a wave.

The two children swan to shore and raised the alarm as Mr Chandler tried to fight the waves.

A police helicopter found Mr Chandler’s body floating 250m from shore, and he was declared dead when pulled from ocean.

An autopsy concluded the amount of alcohol in Mr Chandler’s system “might cause a level of relaxation, decreased alertness and co-ordination, and might have impaired his rational judgment and motor co-ordination, leading him to drown upon entering the water.”

Investigators found the boat did not have lights for night-time operation, and its outboard engine failed when it was swamped by seawater.

A danger sign at McLoughlin's Beach.

An investigator concluded a skipper would have needed experience in difficult conditions, and experience operating their boat, to be safe.

“(Mr Chandler) had neither,” the expert said.

The investigator found “inexperience and intoxication” led to Mr Chandler’s death.

He said Mr Chandler had an “overwhelming desire” to go fishing and, after rolling over, a desire to salvage it rather than swim to shore.

Coroner Audrey Jamieson found Mr Chandler did not understand the risks involved in boating while drunk and stoned.

Ms Jamieson said the children on board might also have drowned, had they not been wearing life jackets.

She said Transport Safety Victoria should use Mr Chandler’s death as part of its boating safety campaigns.