The official search for two experienced scuba divers who disappeared during a dive at Peleliu Wall in Palau has ended without either diver being found.
The missing divers have been identified in local reporting as 62-year-old Singaporean Tan Soon Liang, also known as Robert, and 43-year-old Xiaoxi Wu, also known as Helen, from China.
The Scuba News first reported the incident on 10 September, when Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that a Singaporean national was missing following a diving incident in Palau. At that stage, few details surrounding the disappearance had been officially released.
More information has since emerged from Palau about the circumstances of the dive and the subsequent search.
Five-Day Search Ends
According to Island Times, the two divers were taking part in a dive from the M/Y Black Pearl at Peleliu Wall when they disappeared.
An intensive five-day search involved Palau national marine law enforcement search-and-rescue personnel, Peleliu State rangers, private boat operators and the U.S. Coast Guard Joint Rescue Sub-Center in Guam.
The operation ended on Friday, 11 September without either diver being located.
Public Radio Guam subsequently reported that boats and aircraft were involved in the operation alongside law enforcement and state rangers.
Both Divers Were Experienced
Details subsequently released indicate that both missing divers had significant diving experience.
Island Times reports that Tan held an SSI Instructor Certifier qualification and had logged more than 5,100 dives. Wu was reportedly an Advanced Open Water Diver with 243 logged dives.
The pair were part of a larger group diving at Peleliu Wall, a site known for strong currents and challenging conditions.
According to the account reported by Island Times, approximately 40 minutes into the dive the dive director signalled for the group to release their reef hooks and begin ascending.
Tan and Wu reportedly remained deeper on the reef, and Tan’s marker buoy had become tangled. The dive director descended and assisted with the entanglement.
Both divers reportedly indicated that they were OK and began ascending.
What happened next remains the central unanswered question surrounding their disappearance.
Divers Reportedly Began Descending Again
The dive director reportedly saw other members of the group carrying out their safety stops but then observed Tan and Wu stop their ascent and begin descending again.
He attempted to follow them but reported becoming dizzy after exceeding his maximum depth and was unable to continue safely. He subsequently returned to the surface.
Public Radio Guam reports a similar account from a Palau Ministry of Justice spokesman, who said the divemaster realised the two divers were not following him towards the surface and attempted to go back for them.
The reason the two divers apparently began descending again has not been established.
Challenging Dive Site
Peleliu Wall is one of Palau’s best-known advanced dive sites, but conditions can be demanding.
PADI’s description of Peleliu Wall identifies moderate to strong currents at the site and describes it as an advanced vertical wall dive.
The wall lies at the southern end of Peleliu, where ocean currents can be particularly powerful and the reef drops into very deep water.
The circumstances surrounding the divers’ final descent remain under investigation, and it would be premature to speculate about what caused it.
The disappearance also raises questions that can only be answered through a detailed investigation of the dive, equipment, conditions and accounts of those who were in the water.
With the search now concluded, Tan Soon Liang and Xiaoxi Wu remain missing.
The Scuba News will continue to monitor information released by authorities in Palau and will update this report if further verified details become available.
This article has been updated from our original 10 September report as further verified information about the missing divers, the circumstances of the dive and the search operation has become available.
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