Hello,
Terrible news - 4 divers have been lost at sea, off elphinstone reef near Marsa Alam.
A group of 5 divers, a Russian instructor named Elena Sundukova, with 3 students, 2 russian and one dutch, along with an Egyptian guide, failed to return to their boat after a dive on Elphinstone. We know that they surfaced but were carried away by currents because one diver managed to swim to shore later that night, and was able to describe his experience. Efforts to find them were hampered by high waves.
The divers have been missing since January 6th, and although some search efforts continue, after four days at sea the chances that they survived are now nil.
The instructor, Elena, kept a
blog. Her last post, which I have translated below, contained what seemed to be a sense of premonition:
Quote:
Today I will finally see the sea again, which will smell of salt, wind, sand - and the cold of winter. Finally I will not only travel on it but dive in it, again I will become water, a bird - and I will remember the feeling of gliding above the abyss.
I have to admit, I am worried for my students: Did I teach them everything, did I explain everything, will they be able to deal with any situation? ..
The lost diver's names are:
- Michel Van Assenfeldt
- Dmitry Kapitanov
- Elena Sundukova
- Mahmoud Hamdan