A CORONER is to write to Tesco and the Government with his safety concerns after a 24-year-old woman died after buying an inflatable paddleboard.

Emma Powell, of Canol Creuddyn, Llandudno, was pronounced dead at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor on July 15 after getting into difficulty in waters off Conwy Morfa.

Just hours before, Miss Powell, a waitress at The Gresham, and her cousin Amber Powell, purchased a paddleboard each from Tesco in Llandudno Junction.

Excited, the young women headed to Conwy Morfa beach. Initally the women could be heard "laughing and joking" but then jovialness turned into Amber screaming for help, indicating something terrible had gone wrong.

Emma’s cousin Courtney Powell, who was present on the evening, told an inquest held at Ruthin County Hall on December 8, the water appeared "quite high" but "it wasn't bad weather".

"Emma and Amber were only in the water for a couple of minutes before they got pulled towards the direction of the Mulberry [a pub on Conwy Marina]," Courtney said.

"She [Emma] was inexperienced but she wasn't scared on it [the paddleboard]."

The inquest heard that neither of Emma, a former Ysgol Eirias pupil, or Amber were wearing life jackets. They had safety leashes attached to their ankles.

The inquest was told that Emma crashed into the side of the jetty, followed by Amber.

Courtney said: "They quickly went out of sight. We couldn't see them. We didn't think anything of it at first as both had been laughing."

She said Amber screamed for help and called out "Emma is stuck."

Colleen Powell, Courtney’s mum, who had taken photographs of the young women enjoying themselves before tragedy struck, said: "The whole time I was in a state of panic. I was screaming so much I lost my voice for three days."

Colleen said at the time she had "no concerns" but on reflection felt the women shouldn't have gone in the water.

"I did not realise how choppy the water was," she said.

Courtney said she and her mum went back to the scene the next day and saw a "noticeable difference" with the water levels. 

She said: "The water was a lot calmer. 

"Emma and I had always been quite close. She was a confident swimmer."

There was a multi-agency emergency response to the incident. Conwy Lifeboat volunteers Steve Tustin and his son Ryan headed to the scene after their pagers went off. Immediate launch was requested [indicating danger to life].

They found Miss Powell submerged in the water.

Ryan said Miss Powell had been "stuck in a ladder" but Colleen had managed to "hook" Miss Powell's leg between one of the steps, with good intentions, to stop her from being taken by the current.

Despite valiant efforts from emergency responders, Miss Powell was pronounced deceased at the hospital at 12.25am on July 15.

David Jones, of Conwy Lifeboat, said: "The night in question would have been a night of spring tides."

He described the river as having a five knot-current.

He commented it would be "a challenge for anyone to swim against it".

Mr Jones offered "heartfelt condolences" to the family from all at Conwy Lifeboat.

"We have all been deeply affected," he said.

He added that crews had four core values to follow: trustworthy, courageous, selfless and dependable and members had met those requirements "to the letter".

"I do not believe we could have done anything else," he said.

The inquest heard Miss Powell lost her life as a result of “immersion”.

Senior coroner John Gittins said it had been an "unsurvivable scenario."

Recording a conclusion of accidental death, he said: "It was the unintended consequence of a deliberate act; going paddleboarding and sadly losing her life as a result of that."

Mr Gittins said he had dual concerns; educating paddleboarders properly and whether further guidance should be given by retailers selling paddle boards in regards to lifejackets and safety leashes.

He said he did not want to "single out" Llandudno Junction Tesco.

"This is a national consideration," he said.

The coroner said wouldn't feel comfortable unless he raised his concerns and that he would write to Tesco and the Government. They will have 56 days to respond.

He added: "This was an incredible tragic set of circumstances. The efforts made by the rescuers, and I include Courtney, the RNLI are commendable."

Mr Gittins made reference to a report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) into a paddleboarding accident that resulted in four fatalities at the Haverfordwest Town Weir on October 30 2021. The report coincidentally was published the same day as the inquest into Miss Powell's death.