South Taiwan university's canoe lesson ends in capsized boats, hypothermia

南台灣大學獨木舟課程以翻船、失溫告終

School says activity plans approved according to rules, students accuse instructors of being irresponsible


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — During a National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) Department of Marine Leisure Management canoeing lesson on Saturday (Dec. 17), 28 students became trapped at sea due to bad weather conditions.

UDN reported that despite low temperatures predicted in weather reports, 61 people arrived at Xinda Harbor on Saturday morning for the lesson, which was part of a required course for students in the department. At 10:53 a.m., the local fire department received a report about dozens of students in distress.

Many of the participants were trapped offshore, while some students had fallen into the water. The fire department dispatched 24 vehicles, 48 staff members, and three vessels to rescue the students.

There were 28 students who rowed out into the harbor and became trapped due to strong waves. Seven students were brought back to shore by instructors on lifeboats, five had fallen into the water and were rescued by the coast guard, and 16 climbed ashore on their own before being collected by emergency service personnel.

Eight students were hospitalized due to hyperthermia, though they remained conscious and were in stable condition.

In response to the incident, NKUST was cited as saying the weather had been stable at the beginning of the lesson but suddenly changed. It emphasized that the curricular activity was approved in accordance with the school’s rules and was overseen by professional instructors, lifeguards, and coaches.

Students were angered by the school’s response, however, and took to social media to accuse the course’s instructor and teaching assistants of insisting on conducting the lesson despite the unsuitable weather and students’ hesitance. On the online forum Dcard, an anonymous student wrote that although the lesson’s date had been designated since the beginning of the semester, she became concerned after seeing weather reports that predicted an incoming cold wave and rain over the weekend.

She asked a teaching assistant if there would be an alternative plan if the weather was bad. A screenshot showed that the teaching assistant responded by writing, “Class as usual.”

When students arrived at Xingda Harbor for the lesson, they found that there was no hot water or supplies to help them keep warm at the location. The site only had mobile shower facilities for students to change in.

“When I arrived along with another seven or eight students at around 8:40 a.m., as soon as we parked it began raining and the wind began blowing, the temperature was only 13-14 degrees (Celsius),” the student wrote.

“Of course, the waves at sea were not weak,” she added. “At the time, everyone looked at each other and hesitated about going out, and the teaching assistant looked at us and said, ‘Stop looking, you’re going, all the same. Make sure to be ready by 10 a.m.!’”

According to the student, the class was divided into two groups. The first group was to row out to the edge of Xingda Power Plant, to a point where there are floating racks for oyster farming.

While on their way out, the waves got stronger, but the teaching assistant did not think of telling the students to turn back, the student wrote. “When we saw the floating racks, I realized the waves were really too strong, but it was too late when I told everyone to turn back. The students in front of me had already been pushed into the floating racks by the waves, and so was I.”

She added that students had to hold on tightly to the floating racks to avoid being knocked into the sea, but barnacles on the racks caused cuts on their hands. As they hung on, they realized the need for a rescue and began calling the police, their parents, and the school for help.

“Regarding the incident, the teacher disregarded students’ safety and insisted on making students go out in the water, gambling on students’ lives and causing this as a result. I hereby solemnly condemn him and demand the school and teacher respond and be held responsible for relevant damages (including transportation, medical expenses, and emotional damages, etc.),” the student wrote.

The post immediately went viral on Dcard, and other students involved in the incident shared their experiences. A screenshot of an Instagram story detailed that the group of 14 students who climbed ashore on their own did so because they were beginning to suffer from hypothermia while waiting to be rescued.

The poster wrote, “After we got on shore, there happened to be a shack, and the 14 of us hid inside together, wrapping our bodies in rice bags containing fertilizers or plastic bags to warm up, and we kept checking with each other to ensure everyone was conscious.” The individual added that in the end, a middle-aged man drove the group back to his home on a truck, which was what saved them.

“In (the teacher's account), they only mentioned how they saved the others and completely neglected that the 14 of us could only find help on our own,” the poster wrote. “It was really not easy to come home alive. The situation was far worse than the news (describes) it.”

A commenter’s account echoed that in the Instagram story. She wrote that a local resident found the group and called emergency services for them because no one had their phones.

A Dcard user named Jenny who claimed to be one of the hospitalized students wrote, “We were crouched by tetrapods, half soaked in water, half wet in the wind and rain, and waiting for over half an hour before someone rescued us.”

Another student who also claimed to be involved in the incident wrote, “The teachers all told us if we didn’t go into the water, they would flunk us.” Others accused the teacher of insisting that students continue with the lesson on Sunday before giving up on the idea due to students' protests. The teacher also reportedly wanted students to row out to retrieve the abandoned canoes.

In an interview with ETtoday published on Sunday (Dec. 18), the course’s instructor surnamed Kao (高) said that he knew about the discussion on Dcard.

When asked if he threatened to flunk students, he said, “Yesterday’s event was a final exam, I did not say I’d flunk them if they didn’t go into the water… Whether or not they want to go into the water is their decision, but in our assessment, there is this item. At the beginning of the semester, we made it clear what would be on the test, what were the assessment standards for scoring, so whether or not they went into the water, it’s not the point, it’s a question of whether you (complete the assignment).”

Kao also repeatedly insisted that because the lesson had been arranged at the beginning of the semester, “making changes to the lesson is not that easy, because students will take leave of absence.” He added, “We’ve been at Xingda Harbor for over ten years... the lesson’s content does not change, it’s just that it was colder that day. The wind was all right, it was just colder.”