A recent incident involving a diving expedition near Wanning, Hainan, has led to an official investigation after a tourist posted on social media about their terrifying experience at a local diving club.
The tourist, Jin, and his three companions were reportedly “abandoned” after a diving training session and had to swim back to the coast. Local law enforcement released a statement following a preliminary investigation.
According to the investigation, Jin and his three companions found a diving coach, surnamed Meng, online to arrange a diving training session off the coast of Wanning on June 6. They scheduled to embark on a yacht on June 9, with the dive-training company coordinating with a holiday club to use the yacht.
On June 9, the holiday club arranged for Meng, Jin, and others to board the yacht for their sea excursion. Meng intended to conduct their diving training during the outing. Upon reaching the agreed area, Meng and his companions found the water depth insufficient for diving. The yacht crew dispatched a speedboat to transport them to another location, setting a pickup time. However, the crew failed to appear at the designated time, and communication with the yacht became impossible.
As a result, Meng, Jin, and the group had to swim back to shore, reaching the coast around 8 pm. Jin described the return journey as terrifying, with deteriorating weather and physical exhaustion.
“I was devastated in the end and felt like I could barely use my legs. I could only use my hands to paddle, and my body became cold and numb,” Jin recalled.
The investigation statement noted that around 4 pm, yacht staff arrived at the designated area but failed to locate Meng, Jin, and their companions. They searched nearby waters for nearly three hours before reporting the incident to local authorities.
Additional details from the investigation revealed that the charter was managed by the “Renwoyou” Sailing Club, while pickup services were arranged by the holiday club. Allegedly, the holiday club lacked proper qualifications for diving operations and subcontracted the task to the “Renwoyou” Sailing Club without clarifying the need for pickup.
Rescue personnel established contact with Meng and the others around 8:15 pm and promptly transported them to shore. All four individuals were treated at a hospital and have since been discharged.
Local law enforcement and police have initiated a further investigation into the case.
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