The body of a 23-year-old Argentine scuba diver was recovered two days after she went missing during a training dive off the coast of Chubut province in Patagonia.
Sofía Devries, from Villa Ballester in Buenos Aires province, went missing near Punta Cuevas on 16 February. She was on a dive intended to advance her scuba certification, according to the Chubut public prosecutor’s office and Argentine Naval Prefecture, which fulfils coast guard functions.
Four divers were said to have entered the water, including Devries’ partner Leonardo Alonso and an instructor. They were diving on or around the Hu Shun Yu 809 artificial reef, created when a confiscated 70m Chinese fishing-boat was sunk at depths beyond 30m in 2017.
The site lies almost 1km offshore and is regularly visited by dive operators for more advanced recreational or training dives.
Hyperbaric treatment
The other three divers involved in the fatal dive were transported to hospital, where two of them received hyperbaric treatment and another remained under observation. The instructor was reported to have made several attempts to reach Devries.
The prefecture launched a co-ordinated search operation involving maritime and underwater units. Devries’ body was found not far from the wreck at around 25m and recovered by naval personnel on 18 February.
Preliminary official communications state that Devries might for unknown reasons have found herself unable to ascend unassisted, and the public prosecutor’s office has opened a judicial inquiry to determine whether any procedural lapses or negligence occurred during the dive. A post mortem examination is pending.
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