Divers call for investigation after hyperbaric consultant went home leaving Krzysztof Białecki’s care in the hands of a trainee operator
A consultant hyperbaric physician based at Mater Dei Hospital in Malta has been suspended following the death of Polish diver Krzysztof Białecki in July this year.
Białecki, 48, a British resident and founder of the largest Polish dive club in the UK, was diving the wreck of the SS Polynesian off Żonqor Point with his dive buddy, Dominic Dubaj, 45, on the morning of Saturday, 6 July when the incident occurred.
Both men were said to be experienced divers and were diving the 65m-deep wreck using closed circuit rebreathers (CCR) when Dubaj got into difficulty diving in the strong current.
Białecki went to help Dubaj leading to both divers ascending without fulfilling their decompression obligation. Both divers surfaced alive, although Mr Dubaj tragically died before he could reach the hospital.
Białecki was conscious when he was placed in the chamber at Mater Dei, even reportedly giving a visitor from the dive centre he was diving with a thumbs-up sign while inside.
The Times of Malta reported a source as saying that ‘at 4.48 pm, Białecki was in a stable condition and the hyperbaric consultant confirmed the patient was responding well to the treatment.’
However, the consultant did not stay at the hospital and returned home, leaving the hyperbaric chamber in the hands of a ‘junior trainee’.
Mr Białecki was pronounced dead at 7.10pm that evening .
An inquiry into the tragedy is already underway to determine why it happened and if the divers’ deaths could have been prevented.
Malta’s Professional Diving Schools Association (PDSA) has called for a thorough investigation into the actions of the hyperbaric consultant, as there has only been one other case – nearly 40 years ago in 1985 – where a conscious and alert diver has been put in the chamber and died.
In an email to Malta’s Minister of Tourism, Clayton Bartolo, a PDSA representative said that the investigation was necessary as the lives of divers and livelihoods of dive operators were ‘fully dependant on the hyperbaric unit,’ and that .the scuba-diving industry and community cannot function without these facilities providing the very best care 24/7.’
