An Australian deep-water diver has discovered the 10-year-old remains of a fellow diver while setting a new world record, South African Broadcasting Corporation news reported on Friday.
Australian David Shaw found the skeletal remains of Deon Dreyer, who died in 1994 inside Boesmansgat near Daniëlskuil in the Northern Cape, at a depth of 271m.
Shaw broke the former world record of 242m for diving with rebreather equipment instead of the normal scuba-diving equipment, set by three German divers.
He says he wanted to go further, but had to stop when he discovered Dreyer’s remains.
It took Shaw nine-and-a-half hours to complete the dive, most of this time taken up by decompression.
Verna van Schaik broke the world record for women on Monday when she reached a depth of 221m at Boesmansgat. — Sapa