Japanese diver missing in Anilao

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clgsamson

Koya Kap
Messages
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Location
Manila, Philippines
# of dives
200 - 499
"Japanese national missing in Batangas


By Marrah Erika Lesaba
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 13:32:00 03/17/2011

Filed Under: Missing Persons, Tourism, Philippines - Regions


BATANGAS CITY, Philippines—A Japanese tourist has been reported missing since Wednesday afternoon after he went diving off a beach resort in the village of Bagalangit, Mabini, Batangas, police said.

Yutaka Sawaguchi, 41, of Tokyo, Japan, a guest of Sun Beam Marine Sport Corp. went diving shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday and has not been heard from or seen since then, Senior Superintendent Alberto Supapo, Batangas police director, said Thursday.

Search-and-rescue teams scoured the waters off the since shortly after he disappeared but the search was stopped by 9 p.m. Wednesday due to poor visibility. The search was resumed at daybreak Thursday, Supapo said.

An investigation by the Mabini police showed that Sawaguchi checked in at the resort at 2 p.m. on Wednesday for a fun dive, said Supapo.

After his registration, Sawaguchi immediately went diving together with Akihiro Iyauchi, 38, a Japanese master scuba diver working as a dive instructor at the resort.

When they reached the 30-meter depth just off the beach fronting the resort, the guide called the attention of Sawaguchi by signaling to him that they had already gone to a depth of more than 30 meters.

Sawaguchi reportedly acknowledged the warning, prompting Iyauchi to swim up to a safer depth. But when Iyauchi noted that Sawaguchi was not following him, he made a search.

When the dive guide ran out of oxygen, he surfaced and immediately sought the assistance of the resort staff who, in turn, reported the matter to the Mabini police.

The Mabini police coordinated with the Philippine Coast Guard and the Maritime group of the Philippine National Police which organized a search and rescue operation, said Supapo."


From a friend who was staying at adjacent Diver Resort, they offered to help but strangely the offer was not considered. :confused:
 
some closure to this.....

"Body of missing Japanese diver found off Batangas coast


By Marrah Erika Lesaba, Philip Tubeza
Inquirer Southern Luzon, Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 13:32:00 03/17/2011

Filed Under: Philippines - Regions, Tourism, Missing Persons


MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) The Philippine Coast Guard recovered Thursday afternoon the body of a missing Japanese tourist off the coast of Mabini, Batangas, a PCG official said.

PCG-Southern Tagalog District commander Cdr. William Melad identified the victim as Yutaka Sawaguchi, 41, who went diving shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday and had not been heard from or seen since then. He was billeted at the Sun Beam Resort in Barangay (village) Balangit, Mabini, Batangas.

Melad said Coast Guard divers, assisted by a French technical diver, found at around 1:40 p.m. the body of the victim submerged 80 meters under water some 200 meters from the shoreline.

“It seemed that when our divers discovered the body, the body was still under water. Our divers decided to look within the 50-meter radius of where Sawaguchi was last seen and it was at this juncture when they found him,” Melad said.
An investigation by the Mabini police showed that Sawaguchi checked in at the resort at 2 p.m. on Wednesday for a fun dive with some friends, Senior Superintendent Alberto Supapo, Batangas police director, said.

........ the victim's remains had been turned over to Sawaguchi's friends and the police."
 
man that sucks. Is Sun Beam is the one right beside AquaV?
 
After his registration, Sawaguchi immediately went diving together with Akihiro Iyauchi, 38, a Japanese master scuba diver working as a dive instructor at the resort.

When they reached the 30-meter depth just off the beach fronting the resort, the guide called the attention of Sawaguchi by signaling to him that they had already gone to a depth of more than 30 meters.

Sawaguchi reportedly acknowledged the warning, prompting Iyauchi to swim up to a safer depth. But when Iyauchi noted that Sawaguchi was not following him, he made a search.

Sounds like a real cluster. Who was his buddy? How did the instructor not notice that he had left his diver behind at depth?
 
Sounds like a real cluster. Who was his buddy? How did the instructor not notice that he had left his diver behind at depth?
As usual, press reports generate more questions than they answer. I was struck by the report that the instructor/DM warned the diver to ascend before losing contact.

Then there is the report that seems to indicate that the diver was found close to where he was last seen, but further downslope.

Narcosis and OOA? Was low on gas the reason the DM headed up without watching the victim?

Medical issue causing loss of consciousness, and which initially caused the diver to lose track of depth?

As usual, we will probably never know.
 
Sounds like a real cluster. Who was his buddy? How did the instructor not notice that he had left his diver behind at depth?

"I did not notice" seem to be a common excuse in many past accidents.
 
Japanese scuba diver drowns in Batangas
from www.abs-cbnnews.com

BATANGAS, Philippines – A 41-year-old Japanese died while scuba diving in Mabini town on Wednesday afternoon, police said.

Chief Inspector Elpidio Dueñas, Mabini police chief, identified the victim as Yutaka Sawaguchi, a resident of #31-7 Shishibone Edugawa Ku, Tokyo, Japan.

According to police, Sawugutchi, together with his compatriot Akihiro Iyauchi, a diving instructor, went diving at Sun Beam Marine Sport Corporation in Sitio Looc, Barangay Bagalangit, Mabini, Batangas at around 2:30 p.m.

Iyauchi told police that after reaching the 30-meter depth, he signalled to Sawaguchi that they had already reached the maximum depth, but the victim still went deeper.

Iyauchi said he decided to wait for Sawaguchi at a safer depth, but Sawaguchi failed to surface.

When the dive instructor ran out of oxygen searching for Sauguchi, he surfaced and immediately sought the assistance of the resort staff.
A rescue operation headed by Noli Berano, a dive master, was launched, but it yielded negative result.

The rescue operation was temporarily suspended at around 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday due to poor visibility.

Personnel of Mabini police then sought the help of the Philippine Coast Guard and Maritime Group of Philippine National Police.

The search continued Thursday morning until they recovered the victim’s body 75-meters deep in the same barangay at around 1:30 p.m.
Daniel Burgaud, a French national, assisted in the rescue-retrieval operation.

Police officials immediately coordinated with the Japan Embassy for proper disposition of the victim's remains.
 
Just curious lang. What particular dive site? Is it the house reef of Sun Beam/Aquaventure? If so, just wanted to ask lang the general profile of that particular dive site (i.e. what's there to see) as I myself have never dived that spot despite four years of regularly diving in Anilao.

Also, noticed that the victim arrived at the resort at 2 pm and then the incident transpired at around 3 pm. Is it supposed to be an assessment dive? just wondering. . .
 

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