British diver dies in Egypt

[DandyDon]

The original source is cited as Coventry Telegraph but their story now is shorter: Henley in Arden diver died in Egypt after shark hunt - Coventry News - News - Coventry Telegraph

From Henley in Arden diver died in Egypt after shark hunt ReefCI's Blog

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Reefci

Source: Coventry Telegraph

A DIVER who was exploring an Egyptian reef for sharks died minutes after emerging from the water.

But it may never be clear exactly how 51-year-old Maurice Gowen, of Henley in Arden, lost his life.

An inquest at Leamington Justice Centre yesterday heard how dad-of-one Mr Gowen had taken part in more than 400 dives since he took up the hobby in the 1980s and had joined friends from Solihull Diving Club for a week-long break last month.

He was just 12 minutes into a dive around Big Brother Island – famed for the number of sharks it attracts – when he became separated from his diving buddy.

According to his dive computer he then rapidly ascended to the surface of the Red Sea from a depth of 29 metres.

As her floated on the surface he was spotted by an Italian crew, who asked him if he was OK.

After Mr Gowen confirmed he was fine they continued their dive. But minutes later they were told to return to their boat because “a tragedy” had taken place.

Mystery still surrounds the exact circumstances behind Mr Gowen’s death as key test results have not been released by the Egyptian authorities.

Dr Colin Eagle, who was Mr Gowen’s diving buddy on the day, said: “He did seem apprehensive and a little anxious before the dive. He was an experienced diver, and he would normally seem very calm and confident.

“He did seem to calm down beforehand. About ten minutes into the dive we swam away to look for sharks.

“At this point we were 25-30 metres down and we saw two large sharks. But at this point we became separated. I thought he had followed another group.”

The next time Dr Eagle saw Mr Gowen was when he was told to return to their boat and asked to certify that his diving buddy had died.

When a pathologist examined Mr Gowen’s body he found some evidence of drowning – but the absence of blood and urine tests meant he was unable to elaborate further.

Yesterday Warwickshire Coroner Sean McGovern recorded an open verdict.

He said: “That’s the extent of the information we have, and in my experience if we wait for more material to arrive we could be waiting a very long time.

“If more information comes to light then I will be happy to re-open the inquest.

“He knew what he was doing, maybe he was spooked and wanted to get to the surface? Unfortunately it is speculation.”