Nöbetçi Eczaneler
By DIVE Staff
A 33-year-old Malaysian diver has reportedly drowned off the island of Pulau Weh in Indonesia, after being caught in a powerful current underwater.
The man, who has been named by the Malaysian Consul General as Haikal Rafie Halim, was diving with two Malaysian friends and an Indonesian guide at a popular dive site known as the Canyon.
The incident is reported to have occurred at around 9.30 am on the morning of Saturday, 31 May when the group was caught in a strong current at a depth of around 30m.
A spokesperson for the Sabang Police said that the victim appears to have panicked and attempted to bolt to the surface.
‘After about 20 minutes under the sea, all three were dragged by a fairly swift current,’ said the spokesperson (translated from Indonesian).
‘In these conditions, the victim is suspected of panicking and rapidly rising to the surface without control.’
Local media reports that the Indonesian dive instructor had ‘tried to direct the group to rise safely and hold the victim’s hand.’
Mr Haikal was found unconscious at the surface and foaming at the mouth. He was immediately transported to nearby Iboih Beach, where the instructor and his fellow divers performed CPR before taking him to the local health centre.
Attempts to resuscitate proved unsuccessful, however, and Haikal was declared dead at the clinic at 10.50 am.
He was taken to Sabang Hospital for a post-mortem, the results of which have not yet been disclosed.
Speaking with Malaysia’s New Straits Times, Mr Haikal’s father, Halim Abu Hassan, said his son had travelled to Aceh with his wife and a group of 10 friends.
Hassan paid tribute to his son, saying he had ‘always been passionate about diving’ and ‘never expected that it would end in tragedy,’ adding that his daughter-in-law was ‘still too shaken to speak about it.’
It is understood that Mr Haikal’s body was repatriated on Sunday afternoon.
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