A male scuba diver died after slipping on rocks while trying to exit the sea on New South Wales’ Central Coast in Australia – and now police are trying to identify a mystery surfer who managed to bring him back to shore in challenging conditions.
Emergency services had responded to reports of a diver unconscious in the water at Terrigal Haven, about 90km north of Sydney, at 5.45pm on 20 October.
The diver, who was 51 years old, had been shore-diving with a buddy but the pair had headed back in as the weather had changed. He had been trying to climb onto rocks in a heavy swell when a large wave struck him, causing him to slip, hit his head and fall back into the water.
At this point a male surfer who had seen the incident entered the water on his board and brought the diver back to shore, where CPR was performed until the arrival of NSW Ambulance paramedics. The diver was airlifted to hospital in critical condition, and died there a few days later.
Brisbane Water Police District detectives working to produce a coroner’s report have now appealed for the surfer, or anyone in the community who can identify him, to come forward, because he might have information that could help with their investigation.
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