Four European divers missing - Mersing, Malaysia

[DandyDon]

The news comes just a week after the Malaysian borders reopened to tourists after a two-year closure to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's after 9am Thursday now, There are several versions of this story on the net that all seem to say the same thing, except that a couple of them describe the Dutch boy as British. Some suggest that the Norwegian lady for the instructor for a training group.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2022/04/06/4-foreign-divers-missing-off-johor-coast/

KUALA LUMPUR: Four European divers went missing off the Johor coast and authorities have launched a search, the coastguard said.

A British man, 46, a 14-year-old Dutchman, an 18-year-old Frenchwoman, and a 35-year-old Norwegian woman disappeared after going diving near a small island, they said.


A search involving vessels from the coastguard, police and the fisheries department was launched at 2.45pm, senior coastguard official Nurul Hizam Zakaria said in a statement.

The island where they disappeared, Pulau Tokong Sanggol, is about 15km off the coast of Johor.




The area is popular with foreign and domestic visitors, with resorts dotted along the coast and on nearby islands.

Diving accidents, while rare, do occasionally take place in Malaysia.

In 2013, a British tourist died when she was struck by a passing boat’s propeller while diving off resort islands in the South China Sea.

Malaysia’s white-sand beaches and lush rainforests have long made it a major draw, but the tourism industry was hit hard by travel curbs during the Covid-19 pandemic.


The country’s borders reopened to foreign tourists last week after a two-year closure.

 

[ZombieZombie]

The Guardian article on this isn't any more helpful

Two Britons are among four tourists missing after diving trip in Malaysia

The group, which also includes a French woman and a Norwegian woman, disappeared during diving training off the southern town of Mersing

www.theguardian.com

Doesn't sound good whatever happened. Four going missing at one time is really strange.

 

[DandyDon]

Since it was already well into the morning there when I found and posted the loss, I had hoped that good news might follow soon - and some did. I'm sure that it was a long night drifting for the group and I have hoped that they stayed together, but apparently not as only the instructor has been found so far. The confusion over whether the 14-year-old boy was the Brit's son or was Dutch (and my wondering about what parent would let the kid go without them) and been clarified. The boy is both the Brit's son and from The Netherlands.

[UPDATED] Missing foreign divers: Norwegian diving instructor found safe by authorities

Kristen Godem, 35, to receive further treatment at Mersing Hospital

www.thevibes.com

KUALA LUMPUR – Authorities have rescued the first of four European divers who went missing off the coast of Mersing, Johor, following an incident yesterday afternoon.


A tweet by Bernama Radio reported Norwegian Kristen Grodem, 35, was found safe and alive by rescuers around 12.05pm today, before she was airlifted to the Mersing Stadium by helicopter.

“The victim, who is also a diving instructor, was sent to Mersing Hospital to receive further treatment,” read the tweet.

This after the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency kicked off search and rescue operations after being alerted of the divers’ disappearance in the 2.35pm incident yesterday.

The divers were earlier identified as Grodem, Alexia Alexandra, 18, from France; Adrian Peter, 46, from the United Kingdom; and his 14-year-old son, Nathen Renze, from the Netherlands. – The Vibes, April 7, 2022

Four going missing at one time is really strange.

Oh, I don't think so. The group should stay together on the dive so I guess the current took them all away from the boat. It's unfortunate that they didn't stay together overnight, but hopefully the others will be found soon.

 

[SaltyFrog]

Incidents like this are good reminders to always bring emergency signaling devices on every dive.

Nautilus or ACR ResQLink, or both.

 

[DandyDon]

Incidents like this are good reminders to always bring emergency signaling devices on every dive.

Nautilus or ACR ResQLink, or both.

Sure, but do any instructors ever? Aren't they above such? Students? They expect the instructor to keep them safe. I wonder about backcountry hikers who never bother either. I never leave home without mine, but so few do.

 

[SaltyFrog]

Sure, but do any instructors ever? Aren't they above such? Students? They expect the instructor to keep them safe. I wonder about backcountry hikers who never bother either. I never leave home without mine, but so few do.

I hope surfacing these here will change some minds, like mine was.

I literally got “scared” reading some of the stories and bought my Nautilus a while back, knowing chances are I will never use it.

 

[The Wolf]

The Guardian article on this isn't any more helpful

Two Britons are among four tourists missing after diving trip in Malaysia

The group, which also includes a French woman and a Norwegian woman, disappeared during diving training off the southern town of Mersing

www.theguardian.com

Doesn't sound good whatever happened. Four going missing at one time is really strange.

When the time information came out, that was all the information was available at the time. All the media outlets printed the same

 

[The Wolf]

Sure, but do any instructors ever? Aren't they above such? Students? They expect the instructor to keep them safe. I wonder about backcountry hikers who never bother either. I never leave home without mine, but so few do.

In a perfect world, yes but we are dealing with human beings. Maybe it shld be made a mandatory safety device all divers must carry with them on all dives.

 

[The Wolf]

I hope surfacing these here will change some minds, like mine was.

I literally got “scared” reading some of the stories and bought my Nautilus a while back, knowing chances are I will never use it.

I hv had to use my safety device twice in the past 33 years. And in both instances, maybe avoided getting swept away in open sea in. Ad weather & strong currents to get the attention of a boat skipper from a different dive company who came to my aid.

Absolutely vital. You just never know.

 

[The Wolf]

1 diver has been found & rescued as of lunch time Malaysian time.

This is the female instructor.

She appears to be well.

No information yet on what happened nor what has happened to the 3 other divers. Search still on going.

Weather the past week has been bad.