Learning from a deadly dive

A coroner may recommend installing underwater lines to guide divers to popular wrecks and information signs at landing spots, following the death of an inexperienced diver.

Neil John Doherty, a 27-year-old civil engineer from Remuera, died in Auckland Hospital on February 24, five days after he was pulled from the sea near the Rainbow Warrior wreck at Matauri Bay in Northland.

Mr Doherty had suffered heart problems while surfacing.

An inquest yesterday heard that Mr Doherty had started a dive course but had not completed his diving certificate.

The Rainbow Warrior was his seventh dive and he was diving alone.

Mr Doherty was not thought to have medical clearance for diving. He suffered from an unknown hole in his heart, although the coroner said that was common and would not have been detected by a medical examination.

On the day of the dive, he ate a pie and drank a beer an hour before arriving over the wreck with a friend who stayed in the boat.

Other divers were at the site preparing to go down in a group and he was invited to join. However, by the time he was ready they had completed their dive.

Mr Doherty surfaced after 10 to 20 minutes and called to his friend. He was unconscious by the time she reached him.

A report by Constable Bruce Cook of the National Police Dive Squad said Mr Doherty's regulator was in poor condition, causing him to breathe harder to get air.

Mr Cook said it was possible Mr Doherty dived to 25m but failed to find the wreck and swam around without monitoring his air supply.

He may have panicked when he realised he was out of air or low on air and made an emergency ascent.

His actions on the day were due to lack of experience and training.

Mr Cook recommended that the dive squad liaise with charter operators to establish a dive line between the mooring block and the Rainbow Warrior wreck.

Mr Cook said mooring lines were attached to the Wellington wreck to guide divers.

Auckland coroner Murray Jamieson said guide ropes would be inexpensive and would reduce diver time trying to find the wreck.

Dr Jamieson said he would also consider whether it was appropriate to recommend some sort of signage on land from where divers depart for the Rainbow Warrior and Wellington wrecks.

The family of Mr Doherty said they hoped others learned from his death and supported the coroner's proposed recommendations.

Dr Jamieson will go into more detail when a written verdict is issued in a few weeks.

New Zealand Underwater president Lynn Taylor said Mr Doherty should not have been diving at the wreck but it was important to learn from his death.

There were, on average, six diving deaths a year in New Zealand.

Diving gear manufacturers recommended annual maintenance checks and that people should not dive alone unless they had trained in solo techniques, she said.

Dr Taylor said people should complete their training before diving and should not dive below 18m until they gained experience.

NZ Underwater would support the coroner looking at signage at dive spots, to raise awareness and educate people with facts such as the depth of the wreck and the experience required.

Fitting guidelines at wreck sites to help divers was a positive idea, said Dr Taylor.