A female sailing instructor has been arrested after a scuba diver was hit by a boat propeller in Hong Kong’s Clear Water Bay, leaving him with life-threatening injuries.
The 27-year-old diver was part of a group of at least ten divers who had been shore-diving in the bay on the afternoon of 4 July. As sea conditions worsened, the group began swimming back to Little Palm Beach. The diver was struck by the boat when he was only about 15m from shore, in water roughly 2m deep. He had deployed a surface marker buoy (SMB) at the time.
He suffered severe head and facial injuries and lost a significant amount of blood, but stayed conscious. Paramedics treated him at the scene before he was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for specialist care. He later fell into a coma.
Police investigating the incident went to a nearby sailing club and arrested a 44-year-old woman. She is alleged to have been piloting a small inflatable boat while leading a youth sailing class, heading back to shore as the weather deteriorated. She was detained on suspicion of endangering the safety of others at sea, and the case has been passed to the Marine Police’s regional crime unit.
Little Palm Beach is a well-known shore-diving and snorkelling spot, popular with local dive schools for training thanks to its gradual slope and sheltered waters. An amber rainstorm warning was in effect at the time, with the public advised to stay away from the shoreline and avoid water activities.
Police also clarified that an earlier report of a second woman injured by the propeller was incorrect. She had in fact suffered minor facial injuries after being hit by a windsurfing board in a separate incident nearby.
