Palau has called off its search for two divers, including a 62-year-old Singaporean man, who went missing during a dive on Sept 7.
The search for Singaporean Tan Soon Liang, 62, and Chinese national Xiaoxi Wu, 43, ended on Sept 11, Palauan news outlet Island Times reported on Monday (Sept 14).
The five-day search, which involved national marine law enforcement search-and-rescue personnel, Peleliu state rangers, the US Coast Guard Joint Rescue Sub-Center in Guam and private boat operators, yielded no results.
Tan and Wu began their dive at Peleliu Wall at about 7.45am local time on Sept 7 with a group of divers from the MY Black Pearl liveaboard, according to Island Times.
Palau’s Bureau of Public Safety received a report that the pair had gone missing at around 8.45am.
Palau, an island nation north of Indonesia in the western Pacific Ocean, is famous for its dive sites and world-class marine biodiversity.
Peleliu Wall is reportedly one of the country’s most spectacular dive sites, but is also regarded as an advanced, difficult and unpredictable diving site because of its currents.
Local authorities and the vessel operator told Island Times that Tan and Wu were both experienced divers.
Tan held a Scuba Schools International Instructor Certifier qualification and had logged more than 5,100 dives, while Wu was a certified Advanced Open Water diver with 243 logged dives, according to Island Times.
Tan also reportedly used his own diving equipment and both divers chose to use their personal GPS devices instead of the equipment provided by the vessel.
The expedition was reportedly organised by Pearl Fleet, a Singapore scuba-diving tour company that operates luxury yachts across destinations including: White Pearl in the Maldives, Black Pearl in Palau and Blue Pearl in Indonesia.
Pearl Fleet told The Straits Times on Sept 9 that it was “fully cooperating with all official operations”.
“The incident was immediately reported to the authorities, and search and rescue efforts are currently ongoing under the direct command of the Coast Guard,” Pearl Fleet said.
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) also reportedly said that it had been informed that a Singaporean citizen went missing following a diving accident in Palau on Sept 7.
“We are providing consular assistance to the Singaporean’s family and are in contact with the Palau authorities on the search and rescue efforts, which are ongoing,” MFA said, according to The Straits Times.
A Palauan dive operator highlighted the stakes of the incident for locals as well.
“The investigation must be thorough and questions must be answered as this news could affect all of us,” said the local dive operator.
AsiaOne has contacted MFA for updates.
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laili.abdeen@asiaone.com
