Chinese diver, 30, drowns trying to recover dropped camera off Indonesian island
Dead woman said to be experienced diver with instructor qualifications, family devastated over underwater tragedy
A Chinese woman reportedly drowned after she dived deep to retrieve a GoPro camera that accidentally fell into the sea.
Zhang Xiaohan, 30, was found dead at a depth of 87 metres at the Kelapa Dua dive site near Kakaban Island in Indonesia’s East Kalimantan province, the local media outlet Antara News reported.
Zhang was discovered in the evening of May 3 after several searches by a joint search and rescue (SAR) team, East Kalimantan’s Balikpapan city SAR officer Endrow Sasmita said.
Zhang is thought to have drowned trying to retrieve her camera during a diving tour with 12 other guests and three guides from a diving service provider called Green Nirvana Resort, according to local police officer Iptu Taufik Hidayat.
The group dived to a depth of 30 metres. They were ascending after about 30 minutes of diving, and as they reached about five metres below the surface, Zhang lost her grip on the camera.