Panglao, Philippines – A Korean national died while diving in the waters off Balicasag Island in Panglao town on Monday afternoon.
Major Andy Corpuz, chief of Police Panglao Police Station, said that the victim, identified as Jeongjun Choe, 45 years old, was a technical and experienced diver who dived about 130 meters deep but was reportedly in distress halfway and lost consciousness.
The victim had two companions during the dive and they noticed that the victim was having problems but they could not do anything because their Oxygen was also running low.
“They knew that if they brought him with them, they would also die because they were already too deep. Within two to three minutes if you run out of air you will die so they decided to leave him and come back for him,” Corpuz said.
The chief of Panglao PNP added that according to the statement of the two companions, they had already dived in the same area where they searched.
A search and retrieval operation was immediately conducted to find the victim but due to nightfall, the operation was stopped. The Korean victim was recovered on Tuesday noon.
According to the police investigation, there was no foul play in the victim’s death.
This tragic incident serves as a reminder of the dangers of diving and the importance of safety precautions.