On October 22, 2023, between about 9:30 and 10:00 a.m., something awful happened off the south of Sentosa. Chew Jia Tian’s kayak flipped near a blue floating safety barrier. That spot was tricky — moving currents meet fixed barriers. It’s exactly the kind of place the sea likes to mess with you.
Moments earlier, Jia Tian had paddled over to help another kayaker. His name was Lee Kuok Ming. His kayak capsized because the sea was uneven. She didn’t hesitate. She moved toward him to help.
She put the other person first. That was her instinct. As Lee clung to a toggle rope on her kayak, Jia Tian tried to paddle them both away. But she got weaker. She told him, “Sorry, I can’t.” Lee let go and disappeared under the blue barrier into open water. He was later rescued by a passing craft. Jia Tian’s empty, capsized kayak showed up later. She did not.
Two days later, her body was found in the waters off Sentosa. The autopsy said she drowned. Her life jacket had come off. She had rib fractures, but nobody could say how those happened. The coroner concluded the jacket itself was not defective: Jia Tian had buckled the side straps properly but had not fastened the crotch strap. The unused crotch strap was later found tucked away in her pockets.
Who Jia Tian was — beyond a tragic headline
She was 33. She trained as a nurse at the Singapore Institute of Technology. Quiet, polite, hardworking — the kind of person who leaves an “indelible mark” without seeking attention.
She had been a nurse at Koo Teck Puat Hospital. Seeing her grandmother battle dementia changed her. It made her think about how to care for the elderly and their carers. It also nudged her toward a new path.
Because she noticed how constant hand-washing dried out skin, she began to care about what went into skincare. That curiosity, plus family support, turned into Rough Beauty — a small Singapore business making natural, handcrafted bath and body products. Her brand wasn’t just about soaps and balms. It was her life philosophy bottled into pretty labels: slow down, care for body and mind, notice the little things.
She ran Rough Beauty for nine years. She aimed to bring mindfulness into busy lives. She donated part of her business revenue to cat rescue groups. She adopted three street cats. One of her soaps even carried a cat’s name — Mari. She helped start and support the Toa Payoh North Cats. People who knew her remember her as down-to-earth. T-shirt and jeans kind of girl. Polite. Selfless. Always ready to help.
After she died, her husband Ming and her sister Fang kept Rough Beauty running. They carried on the work she began.
The final moment, and what it tells us
She tried to save someone else. That choice defined her. The coroner called it “an act of pure selflessness.” It’s hard to argue with that.
But this tragedy also highlights practical things we often skip when we think, “That’ll be fine.” Lifejackets work — if worn properly. The crotch strap exists for a reason. The sea can surprise even the careful. And sometimes, saving another person leaves no safety net for yourself.
If you kayak, please do these three tiny but important things:
- Fasten every strap on your lifejacket — side and crotch. No shortcuts.
- Know the local currents and hazards before you go. Ask someone who knows the place.
- If you try a rescue, think about a plan that protects both of you. Call for help if you can. Don’t be a lone hero in strong currents.
What Jia Tian left behind
Her business. Her cats. A community that she quietly fed and supported. People who remember how kind she was. A husband and sister who now keep her mission going.
She showed how one person can turn empathy into action. She also left us with practical reminders about safety and the fragile trade-off between helping others and taking care of ourselves.
My point of view
Here’s the blunt take. Heroes are real. But heroism shouldn’t require gambling with your life. You can admire bravery and still say: “Use your head, tie the strap.” We owe people like Jia Tian respect and proper memory — not posthumous risk-romanticizing.
She chose to help. That choice is beautiful and terrible at once. Beautiful because it shows who she was. Terrible because simple precautions might have kept her here longer. Lifejackets aren’t props. Training in rescue techniques saves lives. If you care, do the small, boring things that let that care survive.
Also: Rough Beauty matters. It reminds us that caring can be a job, a craft, and a way to connect with the people we love. Supporting her business now — through friends and family who kept it running — helps keep her values alive.
How to honor her memory
- Support local small businesses that carry on her work.
- Donate to or volunteer at local animal rescues — she loved cats.
- Learn basic water rescue and CPR. Practical skills beat good intentions.
- Double-check safety gear before every trip. Teach someone else to do the same.
Final words
Jia Tian was a person who cared deeply. She acted on that care. She paid the highest price. That hurts. It should make us kinder. It should also make us smarter.
When we remember her, let it be for her kindness and for the clear lesson she left behind: compassion without safety can end in tragedy. So be kind. But be safe too.
