British teen dead - Wakatobi, Indonesia

[DandyDon]

British teenager dies scuba diving in Indonesia

A 17-year-old British tourist has died while scuba diving with his father in Indonesia.

Gregory Arthur Mills was diving in the waters of Wakatobi national park, a remote Unesco heritage site and luxury diving destination in south Sulawesi, when he encountered difficulties under water.

Accompanied by his father Christopher John Mills, and a dive master from the Wakatobi dive resort, Mills reportedly panicked during the dive, pulling his regulator out his mouth at nine meters underwater.

After removing his breathing apparatus, the teenager allegedly resisted help and was declared dead upon arrival at the medical treatment room at the resort in Tomia.

The Maya Bay dive site where 17-year-old Mills and his father were diving on the weekend is a shallow reef dive with minimal current and is recommended for beginner divers.

There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

South-east Sulawesi police spokesperson, Ajun Kombes Sunato, said Mills had swallowed mouthfuls of seawater, while an autopsy later showed seawater on his lungs, and no signs of violence, reported local news website Tempo.com.

A spokesperson for the British embassy in the capital in Jakarta confirmed the death, and said the embassy was providing consular support to the Mills family.

Wakatobi, an acronym for the four main islands of Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko, is part of the Besi archipelago, an area known for its pristine coral reefs and marine life.

The national park covers 3.4 million acres of islands and waters and was designated as a protected area by UNESCO in 2012.

 

[BoltSnap]

That is very sad to say the least. May Allah be with the parents in this most difficult time. There is nothing worse for a parent than to see their child die like this kid did. I am so sad to read this report.

 

[Cali_diver]

So sad for all involved....

 

[wgw04024]

This could the most tragic thing in scuba. I dive with both my sons.

 

[Bubblesong]

So sad. I want my kids to Be safe, but not miss out on life's exciting challenges. It is really hard to hear this tradegy, yet I still will encourage my kid to just get all the training and take it slow.

 

[BFRedrocks]

So sad. I want my kids to Be safe, but not miss out on life's exciting challenges. It is really hard to hear this tradegy, yet I still will encourage my kid to just get all the training and take it slow.

My soon-to-be 14 year old son wants to dive, and I am looking forward to him becoming a certified scuba diver soon. The plan was to get him certified at the end of this year, but stories like this mimic my worst nightmare with having him dive with me. It leaves me with lots of questions regarding whether to get him certified now or not. My prayers and sympathy go out to the dad and the rest of the family for this worst of tragedies.

 

[Dan]

RIP Gregory & condolences to Mills family. It's really unfortunate situation.

I have been to WaKaToBi dive resort. Most of the dive sites were easy dives. They have a good safety minded operation too. It is indeed a good resort to be for beginner divers. Hopefully more detail incident report comes out to better understand what made him panic.

This diver panic underwater remind me of this incident:

 

[Altamira]

My soon-to-be 14 year old son wants to dive, and I am looking forward to him becoming a certified scuba diver soon. The plan was to get him certified at the end of this year, but stories like this mimic my worst nightmare with having him dive with me. It leaves me with lots of questions regarding whether to get him certified now or not. My prayers and sympathy go out to the dad and the rest of the family for this worst of tragedies.

In reality and statistically, you have a much better chance of having your child injured in an auto accident. Do not pass up this opportunity to do something really neat with your son out of fear of what could happen.

 

[crabbyfiddler]

British teenager dies scuba diving in Indonesia

So terribly tragic. Thoughts and prayers for the father and family and friends of this young man. Just devastating.

 

[DandyDon]

In reality and statistically, you have a much better chance of having your child injured in an auto accident. Do * pass up this opportunity to do something really neat with your son out of fear of what could happen.

* I think you meant to have the word not there.

Statistically, yes - but both deserve good training and then still - a careful but confident attitude. I've seen shortcomings in both. Indeed, I have survived my own in both. I learned how to drive on the farm trucked cattle to & from auctions in town, etc. and then - took drivers ed with a knowitall attitude. I survived a few wrecks before I started trying to take it seriously.

I "learned" to scuba on some Discovery dives in the Caribbean, then went on to get my OW card and several more so I could do the dives I wanted, but survived a poor attitude several times to get me serious about it all. It sounds like maybe this poor kid panicked for whatever reason, but I'm sure I was one mishap away from doing the same a few times. I can only guess at his possible training and attitude.