While out diving for bech-de-mer in Vella La Vella
A young man in his mid 20s has lost his life during a trip to dive for the lucrative sea cucumber (beche-de-mer) product at Dovele in North Vella La Vella, Western Province.
The tragic incident occurred last week next to one of the logging camps situated close to Dovele.
Reports reaching Solomon Star Gizo over the weekend said that the young lad was out in the sea with his older uncle when he met his fate.
On that particular day, the uncle and the deceased went out to dive for beche-de-mer in a wooden dug-out canoe. Its unclear whether they took turns to dive.
But it was the uncle who remained onboard while his nephew started diving.
The young made several trips to the surface and returned underwater.
“It was after he jumped out from the canoe to continue diving when he did not resurface again,” a family relative told the paper.
The uncle waited for several minutes but his nephew did not show up. That’s when he jumped into the sea and dived underwater only to see his nephew’s lifeless body.
Very little could be done to resuscitate the deceased.
Many of the family relatives believe the death may be related to the deceased’s health condition because he usually suffers from ‘seizures’ or epilepsy.
According to health authorities ‘seizure’ is a sudden, uncontrolled electrical disturbance in the brain. It can cause changes in your behavior, movements or feelings, and in levels of consciousness. Having two or more seizures at least 24 hours apart that aren’t brought on by an identifiable cause is generally considered to be epilepsy.
Since the opening harvesting season for beche-de-emer this year at least four divers have died while out diving for sea cucumber.
The first incident involved a diver who was killed after being attacked by a crocodile at the Roviana Lagoon last month.
The second one which happened at Russell Islands, Central Province also involved a crocodile that attacked the diver.
The third incident occurred in Shortlands when a man also out diving for bech-de-mer ran out of breath underwater and died.
The beche-de-mer harvesting season runs for a year.
By ULUTAH GINA
GIZO NEWS BUREAU
