A man has died during an entry-level scuba training dive after reportedly suffering a cardiac arrest while under water off Jumeirah Beach in Dubai on 6 June.
Issac Paul Olakkengil, 29, was from Kerala in India but lived and worked in Dubai. He had been spending the Eid Al-Adha holiday period with family-members, and had gone along to the training session with his wife Reshma and his younger brother Ivin, who was based in Abu Dhabi.
All three worked as engineers – Olakkengil, a civil engineer specialising in building information modelling, had been based in the UAE since 2019.
The group were under water with an instructor when Olakkengil had begun to struggle with his breathing and drifted away from the others, his uncle David Pyarilos told local press.
“Everyone panicked and was impacted under water,” said Pyarilos. “I was told Reshma was rescued to the shore first, followed by the other two.” Olakkengil had been taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Ivin had also been taken to hospital, though he was said to be out of danger. He had been informed of his brother’s death only the next day.
“We are currently co-ordinating with the relevant authorities to complete the documentation needed for the repatriation of the body,” said Pyarilos. The family had also been interviewed by Dubai police as an investigation into the incident got underway, with the diving equipment used taken away for examination.
Also on Divernet: Speeding boat driver who hit diver fined, World’s deepest indoor pool opens at Deep Dive Dubai, Deep Dive Dubai
