‘Tried to kill me’: Huge brawl breaks out between divers 15 metres underwater at overcrowded Maldives reef
‘You try to grab my mouthpiece. You try to kill me underwater, the three of you! Three people against myself - that’s very rude!’
A scuba diving instructor has claimed another diver tried to ‘kill him’ by pulling off his mask during a mass brawl 15 metres underwater in the Maldives caught on camera.
Off-duty Chinese diving instructor Xiao Du said he was exploring the Kuda Rah Thila dive site with his friend last week when he became involved in an altercation with three men.
WATCH THE FOOTAGE OF THE BRAWL IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE
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Then as he turned to swim away, his fins struck Mr Du, who pushed them aside.
The instructor claims a second diver then grabbed his arm and tried to remove his mask and regulator, before a third man got involved.
“They were all around me,” Mr Du told the Yangtse Evening News, continuing to explain how he used his training as a diver to escape.
“I could only exercise restraint. The dive site wasn’t big, and there were lots of people, so it was a little crowded.”
Video taken following the brawl on a boat above the surface showed Mr Du shouting at a man on another boat: “You try to kill me underwater.
“You guys came to me, grab me. You try to grab my mouthpiece. You try to kill me underwater, the three of you.
“Three people against myself — that’s very rude.”
The Maldives Legend Fleet, the company Mr Du and his friend were diving with, said it was aware of the video and the incident.
“We take this incident very seriously,” the company said.
“Diving safety has always been our foremost priority, and we will continue to take every measure to ensure a safe and respectful diving environment at every dive site.
“We have listened to our guests’ accounts of the incident and submitted the matter to the relevant authorities for investigation.
“As the matter is now being handled by the relevant authorities, we will not comment further on specific details.”
The National Boating Association of the Maldives also said it was investigating the incident.
Originally published on PerthNow
