Diver vanished 'just feet from safety'

The Irish Times -

An inquest heard yesterday how an experienced diver disappeared and drowned when she was only feet from the safety of rocks after a diving expedition went fatally wrong.

Ann Howard (41), was last seen alive off rocks off Arranmore Island in Co Donegal in May 2008.

Coroner John Cannon said it appeared that diving was a very enjoyable pastime but was dangerous. However, a diving expert said more people were killed hill-walking in Ireland each year than they were diving.

The jury found Ms Howard died from drowning, in accordance with the coroner’s direction.

“It is somewhat a mystery to us how she happened to drown on this May day in the quiet waters of northwest Donegal in diving conditions described as perfect,” he said.

A diving equipment expert, Rory Golden of Flagship Scuba Diving, Grand Canal Lock in Dublin, examined the dead woman’s diving equipment.

He raised questions about whether Ms Howard had used a number of different types of breathing equipment and put them together which he said was not recommended.

“Regulators are a life support system and one should never mix them up – particularly the first and second stage.

“I’m not pointing the finger, we all do silly things but as you get older, you get wiser,” he said.

However, he said information from her equipment showed a fairly normal dive, but did say that it would have been an uncomfortable dive because Ms Howard would have found it hard to breathe.

But Ms Howard’s boyfriend, Steven Quarmby, said she had used equipment since 2002 and had never had a problem with it.

Letterkenny Coroner’s Court heard she had more than 10 years diving experience and was part of a team of eight divers who were diving at a place known as Paradise Cavern on May 9th, 2008.

The group had come over from Manchester to spend a number of days. Ms Howard, who had complained of having a sore ear, was teamed up with her “dive buddy” Lee Harvey.

Shortly after they entered the water, they separated from other members of the group while they were swimming at a depth of about 14 metres. The pair resurfaced but were not sure of their location. They dived again because the current was strong and they could not swim against it in a bid to find their location.

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