A 37-year-old woman has died following a scuba diving emergency off Kouri Island in Okinawa, Japan, with authorities investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The diver, who lived in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture, was visiting Okinawa and had joined a diving tour off Kouri Island, part of Nakijin Village in the north of Okinawa’s main island.
According to reports from Okinawa Television and Ryukyu Asahi Broadcasting, citing the Nago Coast Guard, the woman began diving with an instructor and other participants on the morning of September 23.
The incident occurred during her second dive of the day.
Emergency During Second Dive
The second dive began at approximately 10:30am. Around ten minutes later, the instructor noticed that something was wrong with the woman and assisted her towards the surface.
More detailed reporting from Ryukyu Shimpo places the group at a depth of approximately 35 metres when the instructor noticed the problem.
The newspaper reports that the dive was taking place at a wreck site commonly known as the “Emmons”, a Second World War-era US shipwreck off Kouri Island.
Ryukyu Asahi Broadcasting also reported that the group was diving at approximately 35 metres to view a wreck when the instructor noticed the woman’s condition and brought her to the surface.
Once aboard the dive boat, the woman was found to be in cardiopulmonary arrest.
At around 11am, the boat’s captain contacted the Nago Coast Guard, reporting that a diver was unconscious and that artificial respiration was being carried out.
The woman was transported to a hospital in northern Okinawa, where treatment continued. She was pronounced dead at approximately 2:30am on September 24.
Coast Guard Investigation Underway
The Nago Coast Guard is investigating the circumstances of the incident and is reportedly speaking with the diving tour operator and other people who were participating in the trip.
Ryukyu Broadcasting reported that the diver experienced an apparent abnormality in her breathing while underwater, but authorities have not established what caused the problem.
The woman’s medical cause of death has also not been publicly confirmed.
There is currently no verified information establishing whether equipment, breathing gas, the dive profile, a medical event or another factor contributed to the incident.
The Nago Coast Guard has urged people taking part in diving activities to pay close attention to their physical condition.
The Scuba News will update this story if Japanese authorities release substantive further information about the circumstances or cause of the fatal incident.
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