Diver killed by hit & run speedboat - Port Phillip Bay, Australia

[DandyDon]

For what it is worth the tv news coverage shows the buddy of the deceased diver wearing a camouflage wet suit which are normally used by free divers that are spear fishing rather than scuba divers.

It could be careless news coverage with reposting, but all of the news stories and videos are referring to the deceased as a scuba diver. I don't know if camo actually helps spear divers in hunting, but I can only guess that he uses the same wetsuit with or without scuba. We rarely get eyewitness reports here, so we do what we can with the news reports.

We won't know if the boat driver knew he hit something or not even if he is found and talks unless he admits that he did. The diver was hit, the boat did run, police are treating it as an possibly intentional run by searching for abandoned boat trailer rigs, and at least one news source is calling it that. Scuba Diver Killed In Water In Speedboat Hit-And-Run

Now that it is Monday morning in Australia, we may start seeing investigative news reports, or we may not see more with a single fatality.

 

[Griffo]

Now that it is Monday morning in Australia, we may start seeing investigative news reports, or we may not see more with a single fatality.

I just caught the last 60 seconds of a police news-conference on this incident, so I expect a few more articles at least.

Here it is
(hxxps://www.facebook.com/victoriapolice/videos/331942864190201/)

 

[Jay]

The hit & run is making front pages: 'Hit-and-run on the water': Police search for skipper of boat that killed diver

"The 29-year-old South Korean national, who was living in Blackburn, was struck while spearfishing with a friend at Canadian Bay, a few hundred metres off Mount Eliza, shortly before 1:00pm yesterday."

"The two men had several years of diving experience and were using buoys and flags to signal their presence in the water, he said."

 

[Russjstewart]

From the Age newspaper “
The scuba diver who was struck and killed by a speed boat on Port Phillip Bay on Sunday was using a buoy and flag to ensure he was visible while underwater.

Two men in their 20s were spearfishing a few hundred metres out in Canadian Bay off Mount Eliza about 1pm on Sunday afternoon when one was hit by a boat.
One off the two men in the water had waved down a nearby boat to make sure the driver could see them, Senior Sergeant Alistair Nisbet said, moments before he found his dive partner – a 29-year-old South Korean from Blackburn – lifeless in the water.“

I believe that spearfishing on Scuba is legal in Victoria, but I have never seen anyone do it, so it could’ve just careless reporting, and the deceased was free diving. Not that it really matters.

 

[Mike1967]

The cop in that video above is calling them skin divers.

 

[clownfishsydney]

Sounds like spearos. Note that at least one report I saw on Sydney TV about this used footage of a Sydney based dive shop's boat that was involved in a missing divers incident on Friday, so that shows how accurate the media can be (and the report about that incident was very wrong)!

 

[Russjstewart]

Update from The Age online

A man has been arrested after a scuba diver was struck and killed by a speed boat on Port Phillip Bay.

A 41-year-old man from Carrum Downs in Melbourne's south-east got in touch with police on Monday, and was arrested shortly after in Mordialloc.

He is currently assisting police with their inquiries and has not been charged.

It comes as police revealed the diver who died was using a buoy and flag to ensure he was visible while underwater.

 

[Chris Ross]

Sounds like spearos. Note that at least one report I saw on Sydney TV about this used footage of a Sydney based dive shop's boat that was involved in a missing divers incident on Friday, so that shows how accurate the media can be (and the report about that incident was very wrong)!

Off topic, but I have dived on that boat a number of times and reports sounded wrong to me - The driver stays on the boat while everyone dives. I've been wondering what actually happened.

 

[Griffo]

Off topic, but I have dived on that boat a number of times and reports sounded wrong to me - The driver stays on the boat while everyone dives. I've been wondering what actually happened.

I read on facebook groups that the news reporting was very wrong. The boat captain initiated the alarm when he realised the divers had been swept away. The question of why they got so far away from him has not been well answered but perhaps should be on a different thread

 

[Snoweman]

A hit and run is not always nefarious. It's not like there's a name for hit and missed the sound.