Diver's death 'could have been avoided' - inquest

An inquest into the death of an experienced British diver who perished while diving on a wreck in Gozo last November concluded that the incident could have been avoided had clear danger signs been in place.

The coroner's inquest was launched in Hartlepool soon after the incident, which claimed the life of 49-year-old Paul Swain from Billingham.

An autopsy on Mr Swain's body revealed that the diver, who had 20 years' experience, had died of asphyxiation. The Englishman had last been seen by a buddy entering a hatch leading into the former cafeteria of the scuttled Gozo Channel ferry Xlendi, off Ix-Xatt l-Aħmar in Mġarr, Gozo, on November 3.

Mr Swain's dive buddies failed to locate him and were forced to stop searching after the air in their cylinders ran low.

A rescue mission launched by the emergency services, volunteers and the Armed Forces of Malta was hampered by bad weather.

Mr Swain's body was finally recovered 15 days later on November 17, partly buried in silt, by the Civil Protection Department.

It took three days to recover the corpse from the depths of the wreck because of the darkness and floating silt inside the chamber he was found in. The inquest heard how the upside-down ferry did not have the proper warning signs to alert divers to the dangers of the wreck.

The wreck has been a cause for concern since it was scuttled in 1999 to create an artificial reef. The MV Xlendi sank on a steep sand bank and overturned, embedding itself in the silt that continued to accumulate.

Divers are easily disoriented because of the darkness and floating silt, which is disturbed by their fins and gear.

However, some time ago, the Red Cross placed reflective signs warning divers not to enter. These signs had been cleaned of algae just a week before Mr Swain entered the ship.

Mr Swain was in Malta with six fellow members of the Sub Aqua Sports Association. His friends told the inquest that Mr Swain had clocked up more than 1,000 dives over 20 years. They said that despite thoroughly researching the trip, if there had been clear warning signs at the entrance of the wreck they would probably have gone elsewhere.

All members of the group agreed that one sign was face down at the entrance, another was obstructed and a third was facing out to sea at the opposite end of the wreck. Hartlepool coroner Malcolm Donnelly concluded that the death had been accidental.