Error Two wreck divers dead - Marsascala, Malta

[DandyDon]

We're taught to not become the second victim, but if you're helping a distressed buddy, it might be difficult to avoid at times.

Two divers die in tragedy off Żonqor Point

One of the victims found himself in difficulty while exploring wreck, the second one tried to help him

timesofmalta.com

Two divers died after finding themselves in difficulties while exploring a wreck off Żonqor, Marsascala on Saturday morning.

Police were alerted to the emergency at 10.30 am.

Times of Malta is informed that the two divers, both Polish nationals, were brought ashore in an AFM rescue boat and were seen by medical teams on site.

Sources said the victims were with a diving school exploring Le Polynesien, a World War I wreck at a depth of 50 metres when the incident happened.

The 45-year-old victim had an issue at depth and realising the problem, the other diver tried to help his colleague. On the way up they missed decompression, sparking the emergency, the sources said.

An ambulance took the divers to Mater Dei Hospital, where one diver was certified dead shortly after. The other, a 48-year-old diver, succumbed to his injuries later.

Magistrate Joseph Mifsud was informed of the case and appointed an inquiry. Police investigations are still ongoing.

The other incidents​

Last Sunday, the AFM rescued two divers after finding themselves in difficulties off Żonqor in Marsascala.

Back in May, a 44-year-old Swiss woman died while diving in Dwejra, Gozo.

In March, a 45-year-old man from the Netherlands died after he and a group of 17 other divers encountered difficulties and had to be rescued from the Rożi dive site in Ċirkewwa.

Only four of the divers managed to pull themselves to shore, while the rest were recovered following a search and rescue operation by the Civil Protection Department and the Armed Forces of Malta.

Diver Marcus Kitching-Howe had recalled how he helped some of the distressed divers that day.

The tragedy had rocked the Maltese diving community, with some questioning why those involved in leading the divers chose to persist despite the difficult weather conditions they eventually found themselves in.

 

[Miyaru]

Some additional information:

• The wreck is at 68m, not 50m as mentioned in the news article.
• The 2 divers surfaced after encountering problems during the dive.
• The first diver surfaced, omitting a decompression obligation of over 1 hour, bleeding from the mouth. He died within half an hour.
• The second diver, a Polish instructor, omitted an hour of deco obligation as well, and chose to just have oxygen on the boat. He got paralyzed soon after and died hours later despite recompression.

The second death was completely unnecessary and preventable.

Since police investigations and subsequent reports are never made public in Malta, there won't be an official statement about this.

 

[cerich]

Some additional information:

• The wreck is at 68m, not 50m as mentioned in the news article.
• The 2 divers surfaced after encountering problems during the dive.
• The first diver surfaced, omitting a decompression obligation of over 1 hour, bleeding from the mouth. He died within half an hour.
• The second diver, a Polish instructor, omitted an hour of deco obligation as well, and chose to just have oxygen on the boat. He got paralyzed soon after and died hours later despite recompression.

The second death was completely unnecessary and preventable.

Since police investigations and subsequent reports are never made public in Malta, there won't be an official statement about this.

sounds like the instr made the call not to do deco while the first victim (student?) was alive and didn't want to delay the transport thus decided to deco on oxygen on surface. Heroic if a very wrong call that didn't save the first victim nor himself

 

[Hiszpan]

More info:

- strong current
- both CCR
- trouble happened at 60m
- instructor's name Krzysztof Bialecki, well recognized among the diving community
- both divers lived in the UK
- Krzysztof's photo:

Source: Divers24.pl

 

[ROUS]

Sad deal. It will be interesting to see if Malta pursues someone to prosecute over this.

 

[boulderjohn]

We're taught to not become the second victim, but if you're helping a distressed buddy, it might be difficult to avoid at times.

sounds like the instr made the call not to do deco while the first victim (student?) was alive and didn't want to delay the transport thus decided to deco on oxygen on surface. Heroic if a very wrong call that didn't save the first victim nor himself

Sad deal. It will be interesting to see if Malta pursues someone to prosecute over this.

You have to wonder if Malta's troubling history might be a factor, if not literally in this case but potentially in a future case. For those who don't know, there have been two cases in which Malta prosecuted or attempted to prosecute people (severely so) for failing to make an effective rescue of a diver in distress. One case involved immersion pulmonary edema, which may well have present in this case. If you know the legal authorities where you are diving are likely to prosecute you if a buddy dies, it may well tip the scales in your thinking about the level of risk you are willing to take on a rescue.

A buddy in distress on a deco dive is a serious problem, especially if that buddy is your student. The odds of you making a successful rescue on a dive requiring an hour or two of decompression stops are pretty poor, and if you stay with that diver without those stops, you are risking your life. You know that, but it would be very hard to watch that diver go to the surface alone. It would be even harder knowing that you will be blamed and possibly prosecuted for murder if you do.

 

[DandyDon]

Hiszpan gave a link to his source for the instructor's name (required when posting a victim's name here) which gives more information.,,,,

Source: Divers24.pl

Google translation...

Tragic Accident in Malta: Death of Two Polish Divers
Malta, July 6, 2024 – Two Polish people permanently residing in the UK have died while diving in Malta. The victims were experienced divers who were exploring the wreck of the ship “Le Polynesien” located off the coast of Żonqor in Marsascala. The dive was conducted using closed circuit rebreather.

Tragic Events
The accident occurred on Saturday morning, when one of the divers encountered difficulties while diving on the wreck at a depth of 60 meters. There was a strong current on the wreck. Krzysztof Białecki rushed to help, unfortunately both divers surfaced without completing the decompression stops.

The divers were brought to shore by lifeboat and then transported by ambulance to Mater Dei Hospital. Unfortunately, one of them died shortly after arrival at the hospital. The other diver was placed in a decompression chamber, but died of health complications in the evening.

In Memory of Krzysztof Białecki
One of the divers who died was Krzysztof Białecki, the founder of the largest Polish diving club in England. Krzysztof, also known as “Dad” and “Biały”, enjoyed enormous respect and recognition in the diving community. His passion for diving and commitment to the development of the diving club attracted many enthusiasts of the sport.

Krzysztof was not only a leader, but also a mentor for many young divers. His contribution to popularizing diving among Poles living in Great Britain was invaluable.

Condolences
Sympathy and condolences go out to the families and friends of the deceased divers. The diving community in both the UK and Malta is united in grief at the loss of two of its members.

May the memory of Krzysztof Białecki and his companion inspire us all to take even greater care of safety.

 

[grantmac]

Lots of current=working hard=PE seems like a possible chain of events. Really hard to recover from that on CCR with an hour of deco.

 

[cerich]

A buddy in distress on a deco dive is a serious problem, especially if that buddy is your student. The odds of you making a successful rescue on a dive requiring an hour or two of decompression stops are pretty poor, and if you stay with that diver without those stops, you are risking your life. You know that, but it would be very hard to watch that diver go to the surface alone. It would be even harder knowing that you will be blamed and possibly prosecuted for murder if you do.

The reality that teaching tech, especially the deeper/longer stuff that as an industry we don't talk about enough nor realistically. I can teach trimix MUCH deeper than I (or anyone) can effect a rescue. You are as an instructor a witness at best, an extra victim at worse. Students and many instructors don't grasp that at an intrinsic and visceral level.

 

[cerich]

Lots of current=working hard=PE seems like a possible chain of events. Really hard to recover from that on CCR with an hour of deco.

adequate bail out. Sadly many don't plan that