A Diver Death in Tubbataha

Subscriber Content Preview
Only active subscribers can view the whole article here

Dear Ben,

Five friends and I went on the Philippines Aggressor in mid- March 2024 for a week to dive Tubbataha. There were 24 divers onboard. On the checkout dive, a Canadian diver (I'll call him Charles) died. He had declined to take an SMB with him. When he first descended with his group of six, he went straight down to 100 feet. The divemaster brought him back to a safer depth.

Charles' dive buddy (I'll call him David) later told us that the guide left him and Charles to join the four divers. Charles came to the surface, panicking. David tried to put air in his BCD, but Charles's tank was empty. Charles was flailing. David backed off, and then Charles's head dropped into the water. Steve tried to hold him up and wave to the skiff. The skiff didn't get to them for 10-15 minutes as they were picking up the other divers. No doubt they didn't realize there was an emergency....

Subscribers: Read the full article here

---

Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email. And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent
Get a free monthly email and a sample issue!