AUCKLAND, New Zealand (7 Apr 2003) -- A British tourist died after being pulling from the sea unconscious during a weekend diving trip off Northland. The woman, 23, was taken to a recompression unit in Auckland, but died on Saturday night. The diving accident happened at 11.20am on Saturday, when the woman was exploring the Rainbow Warrior wreck at the Cavalli Islands off Whangaroa. She was with three others on a deep adventure dive trip organised by Paihia Dive. A diving instructor pulled the woman from the sea bed when she did not respond to his hand signals. Paihia Dive owner Charles Le Couteur said the woman was not breathing but had a pulse. She was revived on board the company vessel, Deep 6, but again stopped breathing when taken ashore at Matauri Bay. Divers continued to perform CPR on the woman on shore under the supervision of a doctor until a rescue helicopter arrived. She was flown to Whangarei Hospital with multiple internal trauma involving her lungs, a Whangarei St John Ambulance paramedic said. She was sent to the recompression unit at Devonport Naval Base, but died on Saturday evening. Police and Occupational Safety and Health are investigating the accident. Mr Le Couteur said the woman was a certified diver. It took "literally seconds" for other divers on the trip to realise something was wrong, he told the New Zealand Herald. "They were diving in a very tight group." The accident happened during the first dive of the day, which began just after 10.30am. It is understood to be the first diving fatality at the Rainbow Warrior wreck since it was sunk off the coast in 1987. The woman was travelling alone in New Zealand. Her name would not be released until relatives overseas had been told of her death. | | The Rainbow Warrior was sunk by French secret service agents in Auckland in 1985. Photo by Ian Skipworth. Police said they had not been able to pinpoint the cause of the accident from initial inquiries, including interviews with Paihia Dive staff and other divers on the trip. A post-mortem examination was expected to be completed today. Police said the dive equipment she was using was sent to Wellington for testing. Mr Le Couteur said the woman had been in a group which included two instructors and an experienced dive master/skipper. "The dive was well within the recreational dive table limits," Mr Le Couteur said. "We are saddened by the outcome but will not speculate on the cause of the incident." Mike Edkins, who runs the Dive North Rainbow Warrior Company, said about 20 divers a day explored the Rainbow Warrior wreck in summer. "It is actually a relatively easy dive." The Rainbow Warrior was sunk by French secret service agents in Auckland in 1985. It was refloated and towed to Matauri Bay, where it now sits 25m under water. SOURCE - NZI |
