‘Tangled’ diver’s quarry tragedy
A diving instructor drowned in a 300ft (91m) pool at a disused quarry after she became entangled in ropes and a companion was unable to free her. There was also a fault with Mrs Paula Blakemore's breathing equipment, an inquest heard. During the descent, at 6 m, one of the pair of divers - Graham Owen - signalled to about the dive. But it appeared there was a problem with his buddy's re-breather and he saw her sinking below him. He followed the trail of bubbles and found Mrs Blakemore at 40 m clinging to a ridge in a desperate attempt to stop her descent. "I could see rope tangled around her left leg. I tried to pull the rope off the end of her foot but I couldn't move it," he told the inquest. Mrs Blakemore was breathing using his equipment but getting tired, and Mr Owen said he began to become tangled in the rope himself as he tried to save her. When he freed his legs, he was disorientated for a time, then realised she had disappeared again.