The heartbroken families of two men who died during a diving expedition fear they may never get the answers they need. Dr Vincent Hong, 53, and Timothy Saville, 61, both died within days of each other off the Greek island of Kea.
A criminal investigation is ongoing in Greece while an inquest was held regarding both their deaths on Thursday (April 6). But more than three years have passed since the pair passed away in September 2019, and their loved ones are still searching for closure.
Dr Hong, from Hull, was a consultant cardio-thoracic anaesthetist who worked at both the Castle Hill and Spire hospitals in East Yorkshire, while Tim was a well-respected businessman from Honley, near Huddersfield. Their inquests are due to be concluded later this month, Hull Live reports.
Vincent died on September 27, 2019 while on a dive to the wreck of the SS Burdigala which lies off the Greek island of Kea. Two days later, Tim also lost his life during a dive to the HMHS Britannic off the same island.
Following the hearing in Hull, Senior Coroner Professor Paul Marks adjourned the inquest to consider his findings and conclude later in April, such is the highly technical nature of the evidence. After the inquest, Dr Hong’s wife Lily Yeung-Hong paid tribute to her husband who was a passionate underwater photographer and marine conservationist.
She said: “Vincent was my rock and being without him has been very difficult. He lived life to the full and, of course, loved diving.
“Vincent was so hard working and committed to everything 100 per cent. He was a great dad and a dedicated family man while also being an active member of the community.”
Tim’s wife Liz Saville also paid tribute to her husband, who was co-director at Bronte Water Coolers in Honley. Diving to the wreck of HMHS Britannic was on Tim’s bucket list.
She said: “He is so missed by all his family and friends. His death has left a big hole in all our lives.
"I just miss him so much, particularly his smile and his sense of humour. He was a very well-known character in his community and was a well-respected businessman.”
Both families told Hull Live they take some comfort in the fact Vincent and Tim died doing something they loved. The inquest heard there was no overriding evidence to suggest exactly how each diver died.
The families believe the fact high levels of carbon monoxide found in both men - who were non-smokers - cannot simply be a coincidence. But, after hearing expert evidence, Prof Marks indicated he would likely dismiss carbon monoxide poisoning as a contributing factor in their deaths.
However, after the adjourned hearing, Mrs Yeung-Hong said: “The conditions were perfect for diving on each day and both Vincent and Tim were experienced divers. Yet both died and had high levels carbon monoxide.
“Just a month earlier Vincent undertook a much more challenging dive which was deeper and in rough seas but he was fine. Why was it different that day?”
Post-mortems were carried out on Tim and Vincent in Greece but a second post-mortem was also carried out on each man by pathologist Dr Lisa Barker at the request of the Hull coroner. She told the inquest this was a challenge because the bodies had already been examined and they had also been embalmed.
However, she took tissue samples from each body. A non-smoker can expect to have a carbon monoxide level of around 0.5 per cent but Tim had a level at 15 per cent and Vincent 11 per cent.
She said this would not normally be a fatal level but was abnormally high. It was also revealed Tim had significant evidence of heart disease and there was some evidence of heart lesions in Dr Hong which may have contributed to their deaths.
But Dr Barker could not ascertain exactly how each man died and in both cases could only conclude their deaths were 'related to scuba diving'. Diving expert Martin Parker, of Ambient Pressure Diving Ltd, reviewed what happened during both incidents using the footage, witness statements and other information supplied.
In relation to Tim, he noticed there was a spike in oxygen levels at one stage and also believes there may have been an issue with his rebreather. This apparatus absorbs carbon dioxide using soda lime in the tube which helps increase the use of a limited gas supply.
If there was a problem it would have increased carbon dioxide levels which could have impaired judgement and led to unconsciousness. In relation to Vincent, Mr Parker noted the dive had gone well and Vincent was calm until the moment he appeared to get his equipment entangled in the line as he ascended.
It seems he began to panic and made poor decisions - such as trying to use the marine scooter to ascend more quickly - which suggested his judgement also became impaired. In a statement, the expedition leader Simon Townsend revealed both Vincent and Tim had trained for two years to undertake the dives in Kea which involved going down to 100m and beyond.
There had been detailed preparations and safety briefings undertaken in the lead up to the dives. Regarding Vincent’s dive on September 27, 2019, Mr Townsend said Vincent had dived to 95m and had explored the wreck of the Burdigala before beginning his ascent.
Mr Townsend said: “At 63m, Dr Hong became entangled in the line and I went over to help him. He was in an inverted position and his mouthpiece was out of his mouth.”
Vincent was unresponsive and, despite CPR being carried out at the surface, he died a short time later at a nearby health centre. In relation to Tim, a decision was taken not to dive on the day after Vincent’s death but Tim and a few others decided to dive to the Britannica the day after.
Fellow diver Clare Fitzsimmons was on the dive with Tim. She said there had been thorough briefings and equipment checks and she said conditions that day on September 29, 2019 were ideal.
Ms Fitzsimmons went down first and said visibility was excellent and there were no currents. They swam towards the wreck but Tim appeared to be lagging behind.
She turned round and saw him kneeling on a structure. His mouthpiece was no longer in and when she and the others went over he appeared unresponsive.
They tried to put his mouthpiece back in and get air into his lungs but they struggled to do so. Again, CPR was carried out after he reached the surface but Tim also died at the healthcare centre.
A technical report later revealed there had been several warnings about the carbon dioxide levels in Tim’s rebreather which he appeared to disregard. Prof Marks also called his own expert witness to help with his decision on how both Vincent and Tim died.
Dr Mark Turner is a consultant cardiologist and was also a diving medic with the Royal Navy and is chair of the UK Diving Medical Committee. He was asked to consider four possible causes or contributory factors to the deaths of both men.
They were: oxygen toxicity; carbon monoxide poisoning; carbon dioxide poisoning and heart attack/disease. Oxygen toxicity was never a concern in Vincent’s death and, despite a spike in oxygen levels at one point during Tim’s dive, Dr Turner accepted another expert’s opinion that the levels and length of exposure were not sufficient to cause any major problems.
Again, carbon dioxide poisoning was not an issue in Vincent’s death but there did appear to be problems with Tim’s rebreather. Dr Turner felt the fact there had been alarms raised regarding carbon dioxide levels and that Tim was lagging behind could suggest he had been overcome by the gas.
Narcosis could then have affected his decision-making and the loss of the mouthpiece which would have led to drowning. Dr Turner largely dismissed the carbon monoxide as a factor in the deaths of Vincent and Tim despite their presence in the systems of both men.
One Greek expert suggested the two men could have taken in carbon monoxide while on the boat but Dr Turner dismissed this, saying it was highly unlikely due to the open air. The vessel had also been tested and there were no issues found.
The only other way to take in dangerous levels of the gas would be through the breathing cylinders. No results from any tests on the cylinders has been made available to the coroner.
But Dr Turner says the only way carbon monoxide could have got into the cylinders would be while the air was being compressed with the process being carried out too close to a petrol generator or other source of the gas. Dr Turner said: “The likelihood of this happening is very low as it is such a basic error.
"Also, if that was the case it would have affected the other divers but they showed no symptoms at all.” But Dr Turner believed heart disease could have been a significant factor, particularly in Tim.
Dr Turner said Tim was more susceptible to immersion pulmonary edema which causes the sudden development of fluid in the lungs and airways. This can happen due to water pressure which redistributes blood from the legs and abdomen to the lungs.
In relation to both men, Dr Turner suggested they could be susceptible to heart problems due to the stressful situation they found themselves in which could have led to unconsciousness and possibly a heart attack. The inquest will be concluded later this month, although no date has yet been set down, while the criminal investigation in Greece is set to be concluded later this year.
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