Two Russian scuba divers died in Philippines after being swept away in strong currents yesterday (27 February). News reports of a subsequent “shark attack” on one of the men seemed likely to relate to injuries sustained after his death.
The fatal incident occurred off the island of Verde, which lies in the strait between Batangas and Puerto Galera. The divers had been exploring a site at Pulong Bato off the south-east of the island.
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The fatalities were identified by the Philippine Coast Guard as 29-year-old Ilia Peregudin and Maksim Melekhov, 39. Their dive-boat D’ Ocean Riders from the Deluna Diving Centre had left Puerto Galera at 9.30am and reached the Pulong Bato site at around 1pm.
At around 1pm the men had set off on their second dive in a group that also comprised two family-members – Eduard Peregudin, 57 and his son Timofei, 18 – and a divemaster.
About half an hour into the dive, strong currents were reported to have suddenly carried Ilia Peregudin and Melekhov away from the rest of the group. The other three divers had managed to surface and get back to the boat to raise the alarm.
A search and rescue operation was launched by the Coastguard in Batangas, and the surviving divers were said to be uninjured.
Melekhov was found unconscious shortly before 2pm by divers from the Arkipelago Divers & Beach Resort in Puerto Galera and taken by speedboat to a medical centre in Batangas City, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at 3.20.
Shortly before 6pm the Coastguard recovered the body of Peregudin, who had both arms missing, just offshore from the island.
Coast Guard Station Batangas commander Captain Airland Lapitan later explained that when the rescuers found Peregudin “he was being pulled by a shark”. Many sharks were said to have been seen in the vicinity.
Captain Lapitan also said that the bodies had already been processed at a local undertakers and returned to relatives without having undergone post mortem examinations.
This left it unconfirmed whether Peregudin had already been dead by the time of the shark encounter or had been killed by a shark – which would be a very rare occurrence in Philippines. Only six shark-related deaths from 11 encounters have been recorded there in the past 65 years.
However, the Philippine Coast Guard later issued an advisory for divers and diving operators to “exercise heightened vigilance and adhere to strict safety protocols, particularly in areas with strong currents and active marine life”.
Also on Divernet: CYPRUS FATALITY NAMED + DEATH IN PHILIPPINES, NO SMB SO PROP-DEATH CAPTAIN RELEASED, 4 MISSING AS PHILIPPINES DIVE LIVEABOARD SINKS, PUERTO GALERA’S DIVE-SITES GIVEN ALL-CLEAR
How experienced were the two Russian divers?