Scuba instructor and tourist diver drown diving in Saipan

Police believe that the diving student who drowned at the Grotto, a popular cavern dive site on Saturday 16th got low on air while she was several meters underwater, causing her to panic and to attempt ascending fast to the surface.

Divers who assisted police in searching for 25-year-old Megumi Morita found her underwater without her scuba tank regulator in her mouth. She was motionless when the divers found her, police said.

Department of Public Safety spokesman Eric David said Mayumi Fukuda, a 25-year-old dive instructor for the Past Time dive shop, ascended with Morita after being informed that the student was panicking.

Police said other divers who witnessed the incident believed that an emergency situation was happening, saying that Morita and Fukuda were ascending very fast. Fukuda's body was found after a search the following day.

Citing findings of a police investigation, the DPS spokesman said that Fukuda and six female student divers, including Morita, went to the Grotto at about 3pm Saturday. Within 10 minutes underwater, the group was about 25 meters deep.

At that time, David said Fukuda was conducting advance course lessons for two students, Morita and Naomi Tsumura. The group then proceeded outside the Grotto about 20 meters deep.

Police said Tsumura noticed Morita panicking and notified the instructor about it. The group stayed at that level as Fukuda and Morita ascended.

Another group of divers approached the female group and asked the latter how much air was left in their scuba tanks. Sensing that the female group was low on air, a Japanese diving instructor signaled the woman to follow him and his group to the cavern and safely back up on the rock.

Several dive groups who were at the Grotto Saturday assisted in searching for Fukuda and Morita. Police could not say whether the water was rough on that day. Saipan was experiencing bad weather that day due to the passage of supertyphoon Haitang near the Marianas.

While volunteer divers found Morita underwater on the same day, they did not find Fukuda. Police dispatched a boat and searched for Fukuda, but failed to find the dive instructor on that day.

Police was about to resume search operations the next day when volunteers aboard the boat Zero found Fukuda and brought her to the Smiling Cove Marina. Both Fukuda and Morita were declared dead due to drowning.

Source: www.asiadivesite.com