A 23-year-old South Korean woman has died after getting into difficulty while scuba diving off Shimoji Island in Okinawa, Japan.
The woman, who has not been named, was visiting Miyakojima with her younger sister and had joined a dive trip on the morning of Friday, 18 September.
According to the Miyakojima Coast Guard, the dive boat departed Hisamatsu fishing port at around 8.30am headed for the western coast of Shimoji Island.
At approximately 11am, the woman’s regulator became dislodged from her mouth, although no reason has been given as to how this happened.
A Coast Guard spokesperson said that the woman panicked and her instructor provided an alternate regulator while assisting her to the surface.
She was brought aboard the dive boat and given CPR after subsequently losing consciousness. The boat returned to Toguchi port and she was transferred by emergency services to Miyako Hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after 2pm.
The Miyakojima Coast Guard is investigating the circumstances of the incident, including why the woman’s regulator became dislodged.
Following the accident, the Coast Guard urged divers to check their equipment and health before entering the water and to ensure they understand the correct use of their equipment.
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