9:00am Monday 24th May 2010
By Arron Hendy
A MAN collapsed and died after diving on a Second World War wreck off Portland.
The 41-year-old was one of eight men on a 30-metre dive from the diving charter boat Tango of Weymouth when he resurfaced feeling short of breath.
Skipper Phil Corben called the coastguard but the man fell unconscious in the water and was helped on to a rigid inflatable boat where attempts were made to revive him.
Police said the diver, visiting the area with a group from South Wales, was flown by the Portland Coastguard helicopter to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester where he was pronounced dead.
The man’s diving partner was also later airlifted by the helicopter to a recompression chamber in Poole as a safety measure.
The tragedy on Saturday afternoon was the second death of a diver off the Dorset coast this season following the death of a pensioner diving off Lyme Bay on April 29.
This latest death happened as the diving group were visiting the Second World War wreck Alex van Opstal – a Belgian cargo and passenger boat sunk by a mine in 1939.
Mr Corben said: “It’s not classed as a difficult dive so it was unfortunate.
“We assume he had some sort of medical problem but we don’t know until the coroner’s report finds out later.
“He was fit and well when he went in and was happy. Everything was normal.
“They were all experienced.”
As is normal for the dive trips, the Welshmen used their own diving equipment and the police marine section have seized the dead man’s gear as part of their enquiries.
Mr Corben, who has worked in the waters around the borough for more than 25 years, said the second man was flown to Poole as a safety precaution.
“He was in shock afterwards because of his friend,” he added.
Grahame Knott, the chairman of the Weymouth and Portland Dive Charter Association, said the Alex van Opstal was not considered a dangerous dive.
“However, things can go wrong in five metres of water,” he said.
“I call it a tourist wreck and it’s no more dangerous or safer than any other.
“It’s a dive at an average depth of 30 metres and usually no problem to a qualified diver.
“Something must have gone wrong and until we know more I can’t really tell.”
He added: “There are a lot deeper and scarier dives but obviously something went wrong.”
The group began their dive close to noon on Saturday and coastguards were called shortly after 1pm.
A Dorset Police spokesman added: “The diver concerned was a 41-year-old man from South Wales.
“He was flown by coastguard helicopter to Dorset County Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“A second diver from the same boat also began to show signs of sickness and was again flown by coastguard helicopter to the decompression chamber in Poole as a precaution.”
The spokesman added: “All the other divers within the group have been interviewed and various pieces of equipment have been seized for examination.”
The coroner and the man’s next of kin have been informed about what happened.
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