A 37-year-old woman has died after becoming unresponsive during a dive on the wreck of USS Emmons off Kouri Island in Okinawa, Japan.
The woman, a resident of Aichi Prefecture who had reportedly travelled by herself to Okinawa, was diving with a guided tour when the incident occurred.
According to information from the Nago Coast Guard Station, the group made a first dive at around 8 am on Wednesday, 23 September, before starting a second at 10.30 am.
Around ten minutes into the second dive, the instructor guiding the dive noticed that the woman was ‘experiencing an abnormality in her breathing at a depth of around 35m’, and ended the dive to bring her back to the dive boat.
At around 11 am, the boat’s captain contacted the Nago Coast Guard Station, reporting that the woman had become unconscious and crew members were performing artificial respiration.
The woman was taken to a hospital in northern Okinawa, where she was confirmed to be in cardiopulmonary arrest.
Attempts were made to resuscitate her, and she remained in hospital for the rest of the day but was pronounced dead at approximately 2.30 am on Thursday morning.
The Nago Coast Guard Station is interviewing the dive operator and other members of the group as it investigates the circumstances of the accident. No cause of death has yet been released.
The USS Emmons is a US Navy destroyer which was sunk by kamikaze attacks during the Battle of Okinawa in April 1945.
The wreck, which is regarded as a war grave and still contains live ammunition, lies at a depth of 35-45m of water and has become a popular dive site.
Local operators warn it is subject to strong currents, and generally require divers to have an advanced certification and be reasonably experienced.
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