Austrian diver fatality - Croatia

[DandyDon]

Austrian diver drowns in Croatia - General News - Austrian Independent Online News - English Newspaper

An Austrian diver has drowned near the Pakleni Otoci islets on the outskirts of the Croatian island of Hvar.

The 43-year-old Austrian was on a diving trip with a group of divers at the picturesque and popular area in the Adriatic.

It is not clear what exactly went wrong but eye witnesses reported that a short time after he jumped into the sea with his diving equipment he was spotted floating on the surface. Other divers on the deck of the ship shouted at the man but he did not respond, after which he suddenly began to sink to the bottom.

A diver who was preparing for the next dive jumped in to try to save him but was unable to reach him and had to stop at a depth of about 25 metres. Another colleague diving to a greater depth was able to pull the Austrian from a depth of around 50 meters depth to the surface and on to the diving boat.

Emergency medical staff from Hvar were quickly on the scene but they could only confirm that the Austrian diver had already died.