Not a Diving Accident

On December 16th, a diver in Thailand was found with his throat cut, tied to a concrete post by his BC. His body was found about 200 meters (220 yards) off Samae, a popular beach on the island of Koh Larn, near Pattaya, one of Thailand's biggest seaside resorts -- with a reputation for harboring international criminal networks. Authorities initially thought it was a middle-aged Russian, but a dive shop owner in Pattaya said the man resembled one of his clients. Eventually, the diver was identified as an American, Thomas Kech, who had arrived in Thailand on a tourist visa in 2013 and had been living in Bangkok with his Thai wife.

Police say that he had been spearfishing, and have called it a suicide, after his wife produced an email from her husband saying it was "time to fulfill my life dream of moving on" and says goodbye, adding that he transferred money to her bank account for her to "find someone who can make your dreams come true," adding that he was leaving "in great mind, body and spirit." Still, from a diver's point of view, calling this a suicide seems pretty fishy.