A scuba-diving instructor well-known among the Maltese diving community has died following an incident at the Ċirkewwa shore-site at around 9am on Sunday, 30 June.
After getting into difficulties Dione Galdes, 59, had been brought ashore, where a call for emergency assistance was made, according to the police. Unofficial sources have reported that the unexplained incident had occurred during a shore entry in no more than 2m of water.
Galdes was treated at the site before being taken by ambulance to Mater Dei Hospital in what was described as serious condition, and his death was announced there the following morning.
Described as “widely respected in the diving community”, Galdes came from the village of Iklin and was a long-standing member of Malta BSAC branch the Calypso Sub-Aqua Club.
“Dione was not only a skilled diving instructor but also a trusted mentor, a generous advisor and a true companion to all who had the privilege of knowing him,” stated the club’s chair Dr Andrew P Zammit.
“His calm, approachable nature made him easy to work with, and his passion for diving was matched only by his dedication to sharing it with others.”
Police investigations are underway and Galdes’ death is the the subject of a magisterial investigation.
Ċirkewwa petition
Ċirkewwa is a popular site on Malta’s northern tip, with attractions including the Rozi tug wreck.
A Dutch diver died and 17 others were rescued there in March 2024 when strong winds created hazardous exit conditions, resulting in one of Malta’s biggest diver-rescue operations. And last October a 66-year-old British scuba diver died after feeling unwell during a dive at Ċirkewwa.
Shortly after Galdes’ death, Malta diving-community website Diving Info was repeating its previous calls for two rooms owned by Transport Malta at Ċirkewwa to be converted into a first-aid centre.
In the absence of such a facility, Galdes had been required to receive emergency treatment on a pavement in 40°C heat for almost half an hour, it claimed, in full view of other divers and passers-by – much as had occurred with the British diver the previous year.
In May, Diving Info submitted a petition calling for a first-aid facility to the government, demanding that its projected “Cirkewwa Marine Park” should advance from being “simply a marketing stunt to become a really valued and well-managed marine park.
“Despite four years and over 600,000 euros spent since the official announcement, not even formally does the marine park exist,” says Diving Info.
Breathing difficulties
On the same Sunday in Hawaii, 51-year-old Greg Durocher, visiting from Colorado, died following an introductory scuba dive undertaken with other family-members.
Durocher had spent nearly 40 minutes in the water off Waiolena Beach Park, a site known for its lava rock formations and marine life. He surfaced complaining of having difficulty breathing and soon became unresponsive, according to Hawaii Police Department.
Onshore the divemaster and family-members applied CPR before paramedics arrived and Durocher was taken to hospital, but he died soon after admission. An investigation is underway.
Another shore-diver, aged 26, also died in Hawaii on 30 June, but on a night-dive. He is presumed to have been freediving.
The unnamed man went missing at Kaakaaniu Beach on the island of Kauai at around 9.20pm. His companions told police that he had been swept away by current and a search was launched until the man was found unresponsive in the water shortly before midnight.
Coast Guard agents brought him ashore but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Also on Divernet: British diver dies in Malta, British dive-pro came to the rescue in Malta, Diver dies, 17 rescued at windy Malta shore-dive site, 2 Poles die after Malta wreck-dive
As a scuba instructor, I find this article alarming and uninformative, creating fear without facts. People are having medical issues from simple diving- did they have poor health conditions already? Our only information about their health comes from the diver themselves and we can’t stop them from lying to avoid missing out or from withholding important information for the same reason. Adding injuries to free divers to the article confuses the situation- it’s an entirely different approach and should not be lumped together with scuba issues. This article seems to be shock filler and little else.