The two Polish divers who died following a wreck-diving incident in Malta on the morning of 6 July, reported on Divernet two days ago, were based in England and have been named as Krzysztof Białecki and Dominik Dubaj.
Białecki was the founder of London-based Diving Explorers, the biggest Polish expatriate diving club in the country with well over 100 members – one of whom was Dubaj, his dive-buddy on the day.
Also read: Malta diver-death inquiry holds doctor negligent
Both men are also now known to have been using closed-circuit rebreathers to dive the wreck of the 19th-century French liner Le Polynesien, which lies at a maximum depth of 65m.
Few details of the incident have been released pending police and magistrate’s inquiries in Malta, but Dubaj is known to have got into difficulties at depth. The 45-year-old had joined Diving Explorers as an already-trained diver in 2021.
Białecki, 48, went to the other man’s assistance and the pair ended up making a rapid ascent that caused them to miss vital decompression stops.
Le Polynesien is located 2.5km off Zonqor Point, Marsascala, which is Malta’s easternmost point, and there were strong currents on the wreck.
The two divers were recovered onto their charter vessel before being transferred to shore by an Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) rescue vessel and taken by ambulance to Mater Dei Hospital.

Dubaj was declared dead shortly after arrival and Białecki passed away later in the day. Police reported a two-hour delay in their having been notified about the incident.
“Krzysztof was the founder of Diving Explorers with thousands of dives under his belt, both recreational and technical,” Bialecki’s fellow club-member Greg Chimiak told Divernet.
“He was an exceptional Instructor and mentor, and a fantastic ambassador for diving. But above all, he was a true friend who will be missed by many.”
The club has launched a crowdfunding page to support Bialecki’s family, and plans to place a memorial plaque to him on Le Polynesien.
Also on Divernet: 2 POLES DIE AFTER MALTA WRECK-DIVE, BRITISH DIVE-PRO CAME TO THE RESCUE IN MALTA, DIVER DIES, 17 RESCUED AT WINDY MALTA SHORE-DIVE SITE