An experienced New Zealand scuba diver died through a combination of faulty equipment and exerting himself under water despite being in poor health, an inquest in Wellington has found.
Gideon Te Ahuru, 60, a scuba diver for 30 years, had gone out in a boat with his brother-in-law at Barrett’s Reef, Eastbourne on 6 February this year to collect sea urchins or kina, considered a delicacy.
Te Ahuru had collected two bags full of urchins when, after 20 minutes, he surfaced coughing up blood, according to a report on the hearing by the NZ Herald. Hauled onto the boat, he was taken ashore where his brother-in-law attempted CPR, but he died at the scene.
Police divers examined Te Ahuru’s diving equipment and found his regulator second stage to be faulty. His air cylinder, which was out of test, was empty.
Collecting the sea urchins and the weight of his catch-bags would have caused Te Ahuri to work hard under water and, with significant stress on his body and his air supply being consumed faster than expected, he would eventually have needed to make a rapid ascent.
Health record
It emerged that since 2016 the diver had been taking medication for hypertension and angina, contra-indicative to diving.
He had ignored a warning in 2020 that he needed to take medication for high chloresterol to reduce the risk of a cardiovascular incident, and had also been on a waiting-list to see a cardiologist about recent complaints of breathlessness when exercising.
There was no diving alert on Te Ahuru’s medical records, but a diving doctor told the inquest that it would not have been advisable for him to dive because he was at high risk of a significant cardiovascular event.
Te Ahuru, who worked as a builder and school-bus driver, also volunteered on a community initiative supporting Māori men’s health. His wife of 42 years described him as meticulous about safety and respectful of the ocean.
Death was preventable
Coroner Rachael Schmidt-McCleave said that Te Ahuru’s death had been preventable. Various contributory factors might not have been fatal individually but, when combined, “had a domino effect with fatal consequences”.
“Recreational divers should ensure they are medically fit to dive and should seek dive-medical advice when there are any changes in their health, when they use or change medications, when they turn 45 years of age and at least every five years after,” the coroner warned divers.
“Diving equipment should be regularly serviced and must not be used if suspected to be faulty. Divers should always monitor air supply and end a dive when there is 50 bar remaining.”
