Risky "teak surfing" blamed in lake death

A 22-year-old woman died Saturday after apparently inhaling a fatal amount of carbon monoxide while "teak surfing" on Lake Tapps.

It's at least the second time in two years that a woman has died on the lake while clinging to the swim platform of a moving boat.

Though the cause of Jenda Jones' death hasn't been determined by the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office, the Coast Guard says her death has "all indications of a carbon-monoxide-related fatality."

Jones' death brings Jay Colbert, of Sumner, to tears.

His daughter, Denise Colbert, died in 2003 after holding on to a boat and being dragged to a Lake Tapps dock. Colbert has since handed out stickers, met with politicians and posted several signs around the lake about the dangers of carbon monoxide and teak surfing — which gets its name from the type of wood used on some boat platforms.

While many states, including Oregon and California, have outlawed teak surfing, it is legal in Washington.

The Medical Examiner's Office identified Jones as being from Sumner, but The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin reported that she was a Walla Walla native and a standout basketball player at Walla Walla College.

"I know it's going to happen again — that's the saddest part," Colbert said about the deaths. "We lost our daughter, and another young lady was lost. I personally would like to see a law brought into effect that outlaws it ... ."

It's not just the carbon monoxide from exhaust ports that worries the Coast Guard. On some boats, surfers can be within inches of propellers.

Carbon-monoxide concentrations released from the backs of ski boats can be high as 40,000 to 80,000 parts per million, according to the Coast Guard. Concentrations as low as 200 parts per million can be fatal over a period of time. Exposure to a high concentration of carbon monoxide can cause a rapid loss of consciousness.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com