Tragic Drowning Cuts Short DXpedition to Rotuma

DXer Antoine “Tony” N’Yeurt, 3D2AG, reported over the weekend that his 11-year-old son had died in an accidental drowning in Rotuma. 3D2AG had been active in a DXpedition on Rotuma — the 58th most-wanted DXCC entity, according to Club Log. No details of the incident are available. N’Yeurt resides on Fiji but has operated from Rotuma and elsewhere in the past.

John Mitton, KK7L, the president of the Utah DX Association (UDXA), said N’Yeurt — a tropical reef scientist — has played a role in making several DXpeditions to the Central Pacific possible, including the upcoming W8S DXpedition to Swains Island.

“Tony has become a good friend of mine and of UDXA member Jared, N7SMI, as he has been instrumental in furthering the amateur radio and HF emergency communications initiatives we have been spearheading in Fiji and Tuvalu,” Mitton said. “Raising two young boys, he manages to balance home responsibilities with a demanding university career, research travel, and ham radio, too.”

Mitton said the current 3D2AG/p DXpedition to Rotuma was timed to coincide with a long new year school break, “allowing him to spend some time with his sons and extended family on this very remote Fiji island, while making many DXers happy to log a new one as time permitted.”

Mitton suggested that radio amateurs consider donating to N’Yeurt via PayPal to assist “with the extraordinary expenses that have surely arisen from this tragedy.” Mitton said N’Yeurt was packing up on Rotuma and would set sail for home on January 14.