Diver drowned on reef after instructor 'momentarily looked away', inquest hears

Bethany Farrell was on her first scuba dive. Photo / Instagram

A 23-year-old British tourist who drowned while diving in Australia's Great Barrier Reef went missing after her instructor strayed from the planned route and then looked away from the dive group, an inquest has heard.

Bethany Farrell, from Colchester in Essex, was travelling with friends and was just several weeks into a gap year when she drowned in 2015. She was on her first scuba dive, at Blue Pearl Bay, a popular diving spot off Hayman Island in Queensland.

An inquest in the town of Mackay heard that Fiona McTavish, the diving instructor, took an alternative route to avoid becoming entwined with a separate tour group, the Daily Telegraph reports.

She looked away to establish her bearings and looked back, only to see that Farrell had disappeared. During introductory dives, instructors are supposed to remain within reach of divers.

"I turned that corner away from the certified divers, so that's when I did a roll to see where I was going, so I didn't hit any of the coral," McTavish told the inquest.

"And that's when I turned back and could no longer see Bethany."

McTavish said she took Melissa Clark, Farrell's companion, to the surface and then spent an hour searching before spotting Farrell "beyond the diving track in deeper water".

Water conditions at the time were later described by local divers as "terrible", with a visibility of about 1.8m.

A search operation was launched and 30 minutes later Farrell's body was found on the seafloor at a depth of 15m.

But it has since emerged that Farrell made it to the surface before drowning.

Phillip Brown, a crew member of the other tour group, said he saw Farrell at the surface, waving in distress.

"They were grappling the water, trying to grasp for air," he said.

Bethany Farrell Great Barrier Reef Blue Pearl Bay British tourist ... - https://t.co/00lMqlWbY7 https://t.co/LEx6pAOELP

— Diving News (@diving_news) May 14, 2018

Farrell's dive computer apparently showed that she may have been at the surface for up to 40 seconds before losing buoyancy.

Patrick and Caron Farrell, her parents, said they believed the death was "completely avoidable" and resulted from a "string of systemic failings".

"No stone will be left unturned in our fight for truth and justice for Bethany,'' Farrell told the Courier Mail.

Patrick Farrell said he was hoping the inquest would lead to an overhaul in work practices and legal action against anyone found at fault.

The coroner is expected to examine training for novice divers, safety standards for instructors and procedures for dives in poor conditions.

An initial investigation served the tour group with a non-recorded fine of £90,000 for "general supervisory failings".

The inquest is due to continue tomorrow.