One of the two Russian divers who died during a scuba diving activity in Isla Verde, Batangas City last week drowned, then apparently got attacked by sharks, which may have devoured both of his arms, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
Lt. Junior Grade Dawn Baterbonia, spokesperson of PCG Southern Tagalog, said the cause of death of Ilia Peregudin, 29, based on medical records was “asphyxia secondary to drowning with massive traumatic injuries probably secondary to large predatory attack.”
Asphysxia, in medical terms, refers to oxygen deprivation.
“When our personnel from Coast Guard Sub-Station Isla Verde responded, they saw that the Russian diver was already unresponsive and sharks were circling his body,” Baterbonia said in a radio interview with Teleradyo Serbisyo on Saturday, March 1.
“This was the first time that such predatory attack happened in that AOR [area of responsibility],” she noted.
Captain Airland Lapitan, commander of Coast Guard Station Batangas, echoed the apparent shark attack, as he defended his personnel from critics who doubted claims that sharks attacked the Russian diver.
“Our guys conducting the rescue saw the sharks attacking the victim. That’s why they came into that conclusion – that there were sharks who attacked the victim,” he told radio dzBB in a separate interview.
Another Russian diver, 39-year-old Maksim Melekhov, was declared dead on arrival at the hospital after an apparent drowning.
The PCG Southern Tagalog has already recommended temporarily suspending water activities in Verde Island and surrounding areas.
“Our station commanders have coordinated with resort owners and representatives of provincial tourism offices to request that. We are waiting for the decision of authorized offices,” Baterbonio noted.
A joint review of existing policies was also being conducted by the PCG and the Department of Tourism (DOT), together with local government units (LGUs) in the area and local diving community, to ensure the safety of the public and prevent a repeat of the incident.
Last Feb. 27, the PCG responded to a distress call that there were two missing Russian divers after a scuba diving incident in Verde Island.
The victims were with a group of scuba divers (a Brazilian and six Russians), two master divers, and the boat captain and two crew members of recreational boat "D' Ocean Riders", which had departed from De Luna Diving Center in Barangay Aninuan, Puerto Galera for a diving activity.
The divers began the activity at 1 p.m. but encountered strong underwater currents 30 minutes into the dive, causing them to be separated.