New Caledonia Scuba Diving Accident

Posted by Scuba Herald at 4:15 pm 0 Comment Print

A 48-year-old male Japanese tourist who died on Tuesday in New Caledonia following a severe diving accident has been identified as a Matsumoto Hiroaki from Kobe, local radio reports.

Meanwhile, an inquiry has been launched in order to determine the circumstances surrounding what has been described as a rare diving accident.

Several witnesses have already been interrogated.

The accident has left the local diving industry in a state of shock.

Local diving club Nouméa Diving Manager Raoul Monthouël told local media on Wednesday the accident was all the more unlikely as every security precaution was observed, as usual, for this “beginner’s dive.”

This included a depth underwater not exceeding five meters, a maximum duration of 30 minutes and a very close watch from the diving boat. The victim was also diving with a certified Japanese instructor.

Monthouël told the local newspaper Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes the fatal accident could have been the result of a “moment of panic” on the part of the tourist, who had never dived before.

The victim was holidaying with his wife in the French Pacific territory, where he had decided to take his first scuba dive at the local Duck Islet resort off the capital Nouméa.
Initial reports after his emergency rescue and transfer to the local Gaston Bourret hospital intensive care unit indicate he suffered severe brain damage.

The accident took place after the diving party had resurfaced and was swimming near the dive boat.

The tourist, who was still wearing his diving equipment, including the air tanks on his back, first screamed for help and began drowning.

He was swiftly brought back to the small boat, then rushed by helicopter to the hospital.
He was pronounced dead about 24 hours later, on Tuesday afternoon.

New Caledonia has been, in the past fifteen years, a favorite destination for Japanese holidaymakers, especially honeymooners.

http://newspad-pacific.info/

Dive Safety new caledonia, scuba accident