Diving tragedy: Diver was honing his skills

He was using a rebreather which recycles air and allows diver to stay down longer
Kimberly Spykerman & Teh Joo Lin, Straits Times 27 Oct 09;

THE diver who died over the weekend while in Malaysia was undergoing specialised training when he ran into difficulty.

Dr Marcus Lim, 37, was using a device called a rebreather and breathing a mix of gases called trimix - nitrogen, oxygen and helium - his widow, Madam Christy Toh, told The Straits Times.

Dr Lim, the Singapore National Eye Centre's registrar, had been diving with 13 others at the Seven Skies wreck - a popular dive site off Pulau Aur on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

The trip was meant for experienced divers to hone their technical skills. Dr Lim, who was trained in the use of a rebreather, and two others were on the course, aided by an instructor.

What happened during the dive is still unclear.

One of the divers on the trip said he resurfaced around 9am to find Dr Lim already unconscious on the boat and receiving cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. The group headed back to shore after gathering the other divers still in the water, and Dr Lim was then taken to a hospital in the town of Mersing, where he was later pronounced dead.

Contacted last night, Madam Toh, 34, herself a diver, said she did not have all the details of the tragedy, and thus did not want to say more.

Using rebreathers requires advanced training.

Unlike the conventional apparatus used by most divers, which expels exhaled air directly into the water, rebreathers recycle this air by removing carbon dioxide and replacing oxygen that has already been consumed.

This process gives rebreathers two main advantages over conventional gear.

First, oxygen wastage is cut, allowing divers to stay underwater for a longer period.

Second, because the air is not expelled into the water, few or no bubbles are created.

For recreational divers, this means marine creatures which are scared off by bubbles can be approached more closely - for taking photographs, for instance.

Military divers use rebreathers because the lack of tell-tale bubbles helps them avoid detection.

Dive instructors say there are few rebreather divers in Singapore, because the equipment and training are expensive.

Dr Lim's friends say he was eager to learn how to use the device because of his love of underwater photography. He had been using a rebreather for over a year without incident.

Said Madam Toh: 'He just wanted to keep learning more, and he was always doing the next thing.'

She said her husband had been looking forward to the birth of their second son next month. 'He loved his family... he was a wonderful father.' The couple have a three-year-old son.

She added that he was planning to go on a dive trip to Antarctica next year.

Diving instructor Leon Boey, 30, who got to know Dr Lim through a course he taught in August, called him an 'all-round nice guy' who had a 'very nice smile'.

The divers who were with Dr Lim have returned to Singapore. His body was flown home on Sunday night.

'Underwater panic' common in mishaps
Straits Times 27 Oct 09;

AT LEAST 10 Singapore residents have died while diving since 2000, based on previous news reports.

The mishaps occurred in dive spots off Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.

The causes were seldom reported, though the cases included that of a man who was found to have used faulty diving equipment and a woman who was hit by the dive boat's propeller.

Seven of the 10 victims were aged between 22 and 30. Another two were aged 50 and 54. The latest diving casualty, Dr Marcus Lim, was 37.

More often than not, divers suffer from what diving instructor Eugene Sim, 41, terms 'underwater panic'. This might cause them to resurface too quickly and result in a lung expansion injury, which could be fatal.

'Sometimes water gets into their eyes, or they swallow too much water because they can't breathe properly. Then, they just think about fresh air and shoot up to the surface. It's the worst thing to do,' he added.

It is crucial that new divers get adequate training in a controlled environment, such as a swimming pool, before heading out to sea, he said.

Mr Sim, who runs Dive Atlantis Centre, stressed the importance of having diving equipment that fits well so as to minimise any risks of panicking in the water.

Veteran dive operator Stephen Beng, 39, reminded those interested in diving to shop for courses that train them well in the fundamentals of the sport.

'Diving is not an extreme sport but it requires proper training and proper health and fitness,' said the former president of the Singapore Underwater Federation.

'Accidents happen when things are overlooked and taken for granted, and choices are made in a hurry,' he added.

TEH JOO LIN

Doctor who died 'was never reckless'
Esther Ng, Today Online 27 Oct 09;

Barely 20 minutes into the first dive of his advanced diving course, Dr Marcus Lim (picture)- described as a fit, experienced and careful diver by his diving buddies - somehow ran into difficulties on Saturday morning in the South China Sea.

"He knew his limits, he knew his equipment - he was never reckless," said Mr Jean-Robert Strele, 46, who did not accompany Dr Lim on the trip.

A colleague who did, Dr Jay Siak, 28, told MediaCorp that the boat crew hauled Dr Lim, who lost consciousness when he surfaced, back to the boat.

They immediately tried to resuscitate him before rushing him to the nearest hospital, which was hours away in Mersing.

"We could not revive him despite four hours of CPR," Dr Siak said.

Mr Gideon Liew, a diving instructor, said it was difficult to pinpoint the cause of death in diving incidents, which are usually "compounded by many events".

Said Mr Liew: "It could be equipment malfunction; not responding to stress correctly; simple things like not breathing properly through the regulator; environmental factors like strong current; no visibility in the water; or an undiscovered medical condition."

Yesterday, friends and relatives, who had gathered at Dr Lim's home, were struggling to come to terms with the inexplicable death of the 37-year-old opthalmologist.

His widow, Ms Christy Toh, 34, recalled how Dr Lim had chosen the name for their second son, who is due next month. Dr Lim had even bought a bicycle for the unborn child.

"He was not known to do things by half-measures," said Ms Toh, who described her Penang-born husband as an energetic and sporty person, whose pursuits included polo and wildlife photography.

On weekends, the Lims and their three-year-old son, Jaden, would spend the afternoon at the Polo Club. At times, Dr Lim would also go blading and cycling at the East Coast Park.

A friend, Ms Heather Lim, recalled how Dr Lim had inspired her to take up diving three years ago.

"Thanks to Marcus, I love diving. I couldn't stop crying when I heard the news. He was such a lovely person," she said.

Dr Siak, who had known Dr Lim for two years through work, likened Dr Lim to a "big brother".

"Marcus was a passionate diver and photographer. He was quite a diving buddy," he added.

According to Dr Siak, Dr Lim was preparing for a diving trip to Antarctica in February next year and was taking a number of courses to improve his diving skills - one of which turned out to be fatal.

More details surface about diving incident involving eye-doctor
Dylan Loh, Channel NewsAsia 26 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE: Friends of the Singapore National Eye Centre specialist who died in a diving accident on Saturday said he was feeling well before the accident.

One of the divers who tried to resuscitate Dr Marcus Lim recounted the tragedy.

Dr Lim was passionate about photography and he was able to combine this with his love of diving to stunning effect.

On Saturday, he was diving near a shipwreck in the South China Sea. He was honing his skills in preparation for a diving expedition to Antarctica in 2010.

A friend who was there said Dr Lim, who was feeling well before the dive and went down with a group of three others under calm sea conditions, experienced some difficulties after 23 minutes underwater. He was brought to the surface and lost consciousness.

Jay Siak, dive buddy of Dr Lim, said: "CPR was commenced, and the boat set sail for the nearest hospital which is Mersing Hospital. But despite four hours of CPR, we could not revive him."

The keen sportsman and Liverpool Football Club fan was described by family and friends as level-headed and a loving father.

Heather Lim, a friend of Dr Lim, said: "When we first heard the news, I was completely devastated - just sat up on my bed and started crying. Such a great loss. Such a lovely person."

Dr Lim leaves behind a three-year old son, Jayden, and his pregnant wife Christy who declined to be filmed. Their baby boy is due to be born next month and Dr Lim had already chosen his name - Tristan. - CNA/vm