A 30-year-old Chinese tourist lost her life while scuba diving off the coast of Kakaban, one of the Derewan Islands in Indonesian Borneo, after attempting to recover a dropped camera on May 3.
Zhang Xiao Han had just completed a dive at Kelapa Dua, a renowned site where thresher sharks are commonly seen rising from the depths for cleaning in the early morning. According to reports, the tragedy unfolded during the dive group’s safety stop at around 5 meters when Zhang accidentally dropped her GoPro camera. Despite the efforts of at least one dive guide to stop her, she pursued the falling camera into deeper waters.
When the other divers surfaced as planned, Zhang was missing, and an immediate search was launched at around 9 a.m. Local dive guides, assisted by divers from the area, initially attempted to locate Zhang, but their efforts were challenged by the steep underwater wall and strong currents.
The rescue and recovery operation was led by Basarnas Balikpapan, the local search and rescue agency, with the support of the Berau SAR team, police, and military technical divers. After multiple attempts, Zhang’s body was finally located at a depth of approximately 87 meters and brought to the surface, around six hours after the search began.
Her body was taken to a local hospital for further examination. Authorities have reminded divers of the critical importance of following safety protocols and avoiding risky actions, even in emergency situations.
