Diver dead in Qld (AUS)

[diver257a]

The following report discusses a diving fatality and a potential swimming fatality - ‘One dead, another feared drowned in Qld’ at One dead, another feared drowned in Qld, assessed 9.10 pm (GMT+09:30).

The content from the above report concerning the diving fatality follows below:

“A male diver was pulled unconscious from the ocean off Moreton Island on Monday morning and could not be revived… Ambulance officers were alerted to a male diver missing off the northeast tip of Moreton Island at 11am (AEST) on Monday. The man, whose age is unknown, was pulled from the water before ambulance officers arrived, the Department of Community Safety said. He was taken aboard a civilian boat where CPR was administered, but he could not be revived.”

A report on the 9.00 pm news on the national radio broadcaster advised that the deceased diver was spearfishing with a number of others. It is assumed that the diver was snorkelling as spearfishing is traditionally done on snorkel in many parts of Australia and can be only be legally done on snorkel in Queensland.

 

[Griffo]

Apparently it was a free diver. Apparently his buddies found him @24m unconscious. Rescue chopper was called but had issues winching down to their small boat. Sounds like they did everything possible but it just wasnt to be

 

[diver257a]

Here is some more news...

‘Friends dived 24m in doomed rescue attempt' at Friends dived 24m in doomed rescue attempt, assessed 9.45 pm (GMT+09:30).

The following is an excerpt from the above report.

“Friends of a spear-fisherman who drowned at Queensland's Moreton Island today free-dived 24m down and fended off a shark in their attempts to save him. The man was free-diving and spear fishing off the north-eastern tip of the island when he failed to surface about 11am (AEST). AGL Rescue Helicopter Air Crewman Dan King told the Courier Mail the man's friends made an incredible effort. ‘Other divers had been searching for him, they spotted his spear on the bottom and then saw him,’ he said. ‘They told us a large shark was nearby trying to take a fish off the spear. ‘They had to free-dive 24m just to reach the man but they managed to get him to the surface and into their boat. They were working hard to save his life.’ The friends then worked for more than an hour to resuscitate him. The man's body was to be retrieved this afternoon.”

 

[Ayisha]

Wow, an attempted rescue by freediving to 24 m, finding him and bringing him up all on one breath. That is pretty heroic.