An inquest in Wellington has found that an experienced New Zealand diver died after a combination of health issues, equipment faults, and physical exertion created what the coroner described as a ‘domino effect’ of failures.
Gideon Te Ahuru, 60, had been diving with his brother-in-law at Barrett Reef, Eastbourne, on the North Island, during a Waitangi Day outing on 6 February.
The pair were collecting kina — New Zealand sea urchins, which are considered a delicacy — when Te Ahuru, a diver of 30 years, surfaced coughing blood around 20 minutes into the dive.
He was pulled aboard the boat and taken to shore, where CPR was attempted, but he died at the scene.
Police dive specialists later examined his equipment and found multiple issues. His tank was out of test date and empty, and his second-stage regulator was faulty.
Investigators concluded that none of the faults individually would have been catastrophic, but together they reduced Te Ahuru’s safety margin as his workload increased.
The inquest heard that Te Ahuru had already collected two full bags of kina, and handling the heavy catch would have required considerable effort underwater, increasing exertion and oxygen demand.
Health records showed that Te Ahuru had a history of hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Since 2016 he had been taking medication for hypertension and angina, and had been advised in 2020 to begin treatment for high cholesterol to reduce the risk of a cardiovascular event.
He had also been waiting to see a cardiologist after reporting breathlessness during exercise. A diving doctor told the inquest that he would have been at high risk of a serious cardiac incident and would not have been advised to dive.
Coroner Rachael Schmidt-McCleave said the death was preventable. While each factor might not have been fatal on its own, together they created a chain of events that proved deadly. She urged divers to ensure they are medically fit to dive, to seek specialist advice when health conditions change, and to maintain regular equipment servicing.
‘Diving equipment should be regularly serviced and must not be used if suspected to be faulty. Divers should always monitor air supply and end a dive when there is 50 bar remaining,’ she said.
Te Ahuru’s family described him as meticulous about safety and deeply respectful of the ocean.
