A 65-year-old Indian tourist has died after reportedly slipping from a boat ladder following an introductory dive experience off Malaysia’s Tioman Island.
The woman, who has been named Sabiya Shiek, was taking part in what has been reported as a ‘discovery diving’ session near Pulau Renggis on Saturday, 12 September, with six family members.
In a statement to local media, Rompin district police chief Superintendent Sharif Shai Sharif Mondoi said the family was accompanied by two dive instructors and a divemaster.
Sharif Shai said the 65-year-old surfaced after approximately 15 minutes at a depth of 7m and told her instructor she wanted to return to the boat. The instructor escorted her back to the vessel before returning to the water.
Her daughter helped her remove her diving equipment. Shiek was then believed to have slipped while climbing the ladder and holding her daughter’s hand, falling back into the sea.
‘While attempting to climb the boat’s ladder – holding her daughter’s hand – the victim, who did not possess a diving license, reportedly slipped and fell back into the sea,’ said Sharif Shai. ‘She did not resurface, as her diving equipment had already been removed.’
The instructor began a search after being informed someone had fallen into the water. Mrs Shiek was found unconscious on the sandy sea floor near the dive site approximately 15 minutes later.
She was taken to Kampung Tekek Health Clinic on Tioman, but was tragically declared dead on arrival.
Pulau Renggis is a small island off Tioman’s west coast with shallow, sloping reefs that are often used by local dive centres for training and night dives.
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