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From: "Peter Herbst" <bigb@ic*.co*.za*>
To: "Techdiver" <techdiver@aquanaut.com>
Subject: Fatality SA
Date: Fri, 3 Jul 1998 17:27:29 +0200
This is all we have so far, inquest on Sat. I believe.
Peter Herbst
083 250 8995
fax 011 314-4575
-----Original Message-----
From: Ian Porter <iporter@np*.co*.za*>
To: scuba@db*.li*.ne* <scuba@db*.li*.ne*>
Date: Sunday, June 28, 1998 4:40 PM
Subject: Tragic Death of Rehan Bouwer


As you will see this is not a full report but a statement put together
by the divers on the expedition.  I will gladly pass any messages onto
the group you may wish.

Ian

This report was compiled by Prof. JG van der Walt (Chairman of CMAS -
ISA).

*This report is compiled from the reports collected verbally from the
immediate eyewitnesses to the tragedy.  This is NOT the final report.

Rehan Bouwer (46), the Training Director of CMAS - ISA, died on Friday
26th June 1998 while carrying out a deep trimix dive during the Wright
Canyon Expedition.  The purpose of this expedition is to collect
biological and geological data from the edge of this underwater canyon
that lies about 5 miles north of Sodwana bay.  He was the dive leader
of the expedition.

A series of dives were successfully carried out at depths ranging from
80 to 120 m on the Wednesday (24th) and Thursday (25th) as well as the
morning of the Friday (26th).  The afternoon dive was lead by Rehan
and was intended to collect specimens from 120 - 140 m.  The dive
followed its planned profile up to the end of bottom stay, when an
apparent equipment failure caused Rehan to attempt an emergency
ascent.  He reached the surface successfully and requested extra
nitrox and oxygen.  He descended with a support diver, who could not
stabilise their joint negative buoyancy and they sank back down to 65
m, at which point the support diver managed to inflate his BC before
losing consciousness.  Only the support diver surfaced.  He was
rescued by the attending doctor and treated.  He has no long-term
sequelae.

A surface search was instituted and extra boats were requested.  The
area from the incident sight to 15 nautical miles downstream was
searched in a parallel pattern from about 15h00 to 20h00.  Nothing was
found.*

Additional searched were conducted on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th
with no success.



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