THE family of a man who died after his kayak capsized off the North-East coast say they can have no closure until his body is found.

Shane Smith, from Seaham, in County Durham, died on April 22, 2010 after his kayak capsized.

He had been with his brothers, Guy and Philip, and two friends, on the beach in Seaham, close to the harbour.

The Northern Echo:

Shane Smith, from Seaham, pictured on the day of his death

Despite the efforts of his brothers, who both tried to swim out to save Shane, they were unable to reach him.

And though a huge search was carried out by coast guards, helicopters and a police dog unit, his body was never found.

At an inquest, held today, coroner Jeremy Chipperfield ruled Mr Smith was intoxicated when he drowned after his kayak capsized and recorded an accidental death.

Speaking after the hearing, his mother Pearl Smith, who questioned why the search had not gone on for longer, said: “There’s no closure, still no closure. He’s gone, we’ll never get him back.”

The Northern Echo:

Philip Smith, Kimberley Cookson, Pearl Smith and Tracy Smith, speaking outside Crook Coroner's Court

Tracy Smith, 32, his sister, added: “There might be a death certificate but it means nothing.”

The inquest, held at Crook Coroner’s Court, heard the group, who had been drinking earlier in the day, had taken two bottles of whisky and vermouth to drink on the beach, while Shane had also been smoking cannabis.

A statement by Guy Smith, now 44, was read to the court.

Recalling the day of the incident, he said: “Everyone was talking about the kayak Phil had been fixing up.

“When it was completed everyone was excited. There was a buzz of getting the kayak onto the sea. Shane was extremely excited.”

After arriving at the beach, Guy took the first turn, staying close to the shore, but when Shane took a go, he paddled further out to sea.

Guy added: “He looked comfortable and in control. He had a good action, he looked like he knew what he was doing.”

The inquest heard Shane paddled beyond the harbour wall and his kayak capsized after being hit by a wave.

Guy tried to swim out to rescue his brother, managing to get within 20m of him before turning back.

He said: “I was desperately trying to get to him and I was running out of energy.

“I felt so cold. I was exhausted. I knew I had to get back to shore because my body felt so heavy I was almost delirious. I was scared – I didn’t think I was going to make it back.”

Philip, who attended the inquest to give evidence, said: “We stayed there for quite a bit hoping he would be recovered but he never was.

“I tried to go back in but the police grabbed me and mam grabbed me.

“We continued to search for days and weeks. Loads of friends helped, we searched Blackhall, Crimdon, Sunderland. We thought he might have travelled with the tide so we searched every beach we could to find some scrap of him.”

The Northern Echo:

Shane Smith, 30, died after his kayak capsized in Seaham

Detective Constable Andy Reynolds said reports had been made in January 2011 that Shane had been spotted alive in Tenerife but police had dismissed the possibility.

He said: “It was rumour and speculation with little or no substance to it.”

He added: “He didn’t have life insurance, financially it would have been a struggle to set up life there. There was no motivation to do that. He was happy at home. It seemed quite unbelievable.”

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Chipperfield said: “He was happy on that day, he was with his brothers.

“He paddled out beyond the shelter of the wall and capsized . Though he was a strong swimmer, he didn’t come back to shore. Despite valiant attempts by his brother Guy, who put himself in considerable danger to recover him, Shane eventually succumbed to the water and never returned to shore.”

Paying tribute to her son, Mrs Smith, 62 said: “He was funny. He was up for a laugh. He would do anything to try and make people happy.”