A tourist emerged from a dive unconscious and despite attempts to revive him, he was declared deceased.

At 10:45 a.m., Sunday, April 21, the NSRI Gqeberha duty crew was activated following reports from TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Port Elizabeth Port Control of CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) efforts on an adult male on a dive charter boat in progress was en route to Port Elizabeth Harbor and was in the vicinity of the outer Bell Buoy at the time.

The NSRI Gqeberha rescue vessel, Rescue 6 Alpha (which was already on the water at our NSRI rescue station after a routine standby at the local Iron Man competition) was launched.

EC Government Health EMS and Relay ambulance services were activated.

Our NSRI rescue vessels responded to the scene and met the dive charter boat half a nautical mile from the harbor entrance.

We found the dive charter boat crew performing CPR on a Chinese man, a tourist.

The injured man was transferred to our NSRI rescue vessel, and while NSRI medics continued to resuscitate the man, he was taken to our NSRI rescue station in Gqeberha, where paramedics continued advanced life support resuscitation efforts.

After all attempts to resuscitate the man were exhausted, the man was sadly declared deceased.

SA Police forces attended the scene and police opened an inquest.

The man’s body has been handed over to the government’s Forensic Pathology Services.

Condolences are conveyed to the family of the deceased man.

It appears that the man, aged 50, emerged from a dive unconscious and was recovered on the dive charter boat where CPR was initiated by the dive charter boat crew.