The Coroner's Court has urged the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to issue safety rules for scuba diving instructors, and to offer diving courses, after a woman taking a beginner's course drowned.
A jury decided unanimously yesterday that the death of Rosie Fan Hiu-yi, 27 - a doctor from Princess Margaret Hospital - in Sai Kung in November was an accident.
To avoid similar cases, the jury recommended that the department co-operate with diving instructors to map out safety rules and to raise public awareness on diving safety. It said department officials could provide diving courses for beginners. The department said it would look into the court's suggestions.
On November 4, Fan attended her first beginner's class with two other learners. They were diving to 3 metres under the guidance of a female instructor from a rented boat about 20 metres off a pier at Wu Lei Kiu, the court heard.
Fan was found unconscious about 7 to 8 metres from the boat at about 3pm. The boat returned to Wong Shek Pier and an ambulance took her to Tseung Kwan O Hospital, where she was declared dead.
'At about 3pm, the [victim] decided to leave the other learners and the instructor, and to return to the boat alone,' the jury said.