A British diver has been found dead after going missing during a solo dive off Gili Air, approximately 70km east of Bali in Indonesia’s West Nusa Tenggara Province.
The diver, who has been identified in local Indonesian media as Robert Peter Ladd, 46, was reported missing on Tuesday, 24 March, after failing to resurface from a shore dive.
According to local authorities, Ladd had entered the water at approximately 11:00am. Concerns were raised when he failed to return after an hour, prompting a missing person alert and the deployment of search and rescue teams.
Mr Ladd’s body was recovered at 1:20pm from a depth of around 12 metres (39ft), close to the location where he had entered the water.
Medical staff attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) after Ladd was brought to shore, but he could not be revived.
The diver’s body was transported by boat to Tembobor Hamlet before being taken by ambulance to Bhayangkara Mataram Hospital.
‘The victim was found dead by the SAR team this afternoon,’ said I Gusti Komang Aryadana, coordinator of the Bangsal I SAR Alert Unit in North Lombok. ‘With the discovery of the victim, the search and rescue operation in Gili Air waters has been officially closed.’
Aryadana said the recovery was the result of coordinated efforts involving multiple agencies and local dive operators, including the Bangsal SAR Alert Unit, regional water police, military personnel, local dive centres and members of the Gili Air diving community.
Gili Air, part of a trio of islands including Gili Trawangan and Gili Meno, is a popular diving destination just off the coast of the large island of Lombok.
Dive conditions are usually fairly easy, making many of the nearby sites suitable for entry-level divers, although currents can be strong and change rapidly at sites in the channels between the islands.
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