Dive master drowns in Moalboal

CEBU, Philippines - In the past, scuba diving accidents occur because untrained people take risks with which they are not equipped to deal.

But in the recent case of drowning during a diving activity, a Korean dive master reportedly lost his life while accompanying two others in an underwater exploration in Panagsama, Moalboal town.

Last Tuesday noon, the body of Eok Soo Kim was found floating around 15 minutes after he and two compatriots went scuba diving several meters away from the shoreline of Panagsama.

His fellow Koreans Kim Sung Hee, who reportedly surfaced waving his hands and shouting for help, was found to be very weak already when rescued while Seok Baek was fished out of the waters several hours later, the report said.

Insp. Roland Yballe, in an interview with The FREEMAN, said that the three were reportedly invited that day as guests of James Dive Shop whose owner is also a Korean.

The three reportedly departed from the shoreline at 11 a.m. onboard a motorized boat with one Fritz Georfo as their compressor man.

Yballe said that the three could have encountered a problem in their respective oxygen tanks while underwater, as any mechanical device is subject to occasional malfunction and that long exposure to demanding environments can damage crucial parts as well, this was learned.

Another theory, expressed by a personnel of a funeral parlor, had it that the incident could have stemmed from human error.

In a website on relative safety in scuba diving, it is mentioned that each water body has its own characteristics and that scuba diving is not the same the world over. Currents, temperatures, aquatic life forms, and submerged structures, all of which add to the attractions of famous scuba diving hotspots, also involve specific risks of their own even to those who have already been familiar with the ropes of this extreme recreational activity or hobby.

Eok Soo Kim’s body was then taken to the Cebu Rolling Hills Memorial Chapels. As of this writing, it is to be subjected yet to an autopsy after the expected arrival of the family last night.

Charlie Shin, president of the Korean Community in Cebu, instructed the funeral homes personnel to keep the body intact till the family arrives. – Niña G. Sumacot/MEEV   (FREEMAN NEWS)