Immersion Pulmonary Oedema (IPO) has been given as the cause of death of UK scuba diver Robert Bolton while on holiday in Indonesia in 2023 – one of the relatively few occasions on which the hard-to-spot condition has been formally diagnosed in divers.
At an inquest at Winchester Coroner’s Court last week, coroner Jason Pegg heard that the 65-year-old had been diving at a well-known site in Komodo National Park on 17 September when the fatal incident occurred. The proceedings were reported by the Hampshire Chronicle.
Bolton, who lived in Bishop’s Waltham in Hampshire, was an experienced diver who had learnt while serving in the Royal Navy. The lieutenant-commander had later left the service to become a criminal-defence barrister, before founding a financial-advice company in 2016.
He and his wife Michelle had been on a “dream cruise”, and on the day were exploring the Crystal Rock pinnacle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site subject to strong currents and popular with experienced divers for its marine life. He had been under water for no more than 10 minutes when he realised that he had a problem.
Bolton was said to have ascended quickly accompanied by a dive-guide but with what his wife described as “panic in his eyes”. He had been breathing heavily and holding his chest, she stated. At the surface he had suffered seizures and passed out as a speedboat transferred him to hospital on the mainland in a bumpy hour-long trip.
Doctors diagnosed an IPO but Bolton did not regain consciousness. He was later evacuated to a private hospital in Singapore, where he died six days after the dive.
Michelle Bolton said that her husband had been fit, strong and a sportsman. In a statement for the inquest, UK diving-diseases expert Dr Peter Wilmshurst pointed out that the risk of an IPO, in which fluids leak from blood vessels into the lungs, was 13 times higher in divers of 60 or more.
“Dr Wilmshurst is certain that Mr Bolton’s diving accident was due to an immersion pulmonary oedema which resulted in Mr Bolton suffering a hypoxic brain injury,” said the coroner.
He recorded an accidental death, noting Bolton’s diving experience, his rapid understanding that immediate action was needed and his attempt to reach the surface.
Shark incident in Bahamas
Two swimmers have been injured, one seriously, following a shark encounter off the Bahamas island of Bimini, the closest to Florida. The female tourists, who were on holiday from the USA, were in the sea together on the early evening of 7 February when they sustained injuries to their lower bodies.
They received emergency treatment at a local clinic before being airlifted to New Providence island for further medical attention, according to the Royal Bahamas Police. They have since returned home, with one due to undergo a third operation to repair a leg wound.
Also on Divernet: IPO SURVIVORS ‘STRONGLY ADVISED’ TO QUIT DIVING, WHAT HAPPENS TO A DIVER CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER?, ‘THE DIVE THAT TURNED INTO MY FIGHT FOR LIFE’ UK CORONER RECORDS FIRST IPO VERDICT ON SNORKELLER
