Kent coroner records open verdict into Cirkewwa diving death

A court inquest held in Kent, UK into the death of a British diver in Malta in October 2006 was told this week there was no definitive proof the air tanks were giving accurate readings or that valves were working correctly.

IT specialist John Foulkes, 56, of Kent was in Malta on holiday with his family when he died apparently of heart failure. He was diving with a group off Cirkewwa when he suddenly surfaced, apparently in distress. He was already unconscious when he was taken on board the boat, and later died at St Luke’s hospital.

According to Maltese authorities, his equipment appeared to be in good working order. The Maltese inquiry concluded he may have suffered heart failure and died from natural causes.

Thisiskent.com reports that data from Foulkes’s dive computer, which logged all his underwater activities, was analysed by an expert, who found he had made no significant mistakes in his descent and ascent techniques.

Pathologist Dr David Rouse, who carried out a post-mortem examination on Foulkes’s body in Britain, said he was unable to obtain all tests due to the presence of embalming fluid. But he said: “There’s no pathological finding to account for his death, so to my mind, one must consider the diving equipment.”

Dr Rouse gave the cause of death as unascertained.

Coroner Roger Sykes, who recorded an open verdict, said as the main investigation was held in Malta he was unable to scrutinise the evidence and question witnesses to the extent he would have wanted.

He said: “I am not going to get the answers for you. I do not think you will ever know what happened, and I am unable to fill those gaps. You have nothing more than you had four years ago, but we have done what we can.”

Foulkes had been in very good health and was experienced and knowledgeable about his hobby.

His wife Judith, a social worker, told the hearing: “He would not have gone diving if he felt unwell.”

An experienced diver, he had completed at least three underwater descents during the trip with no problems, before he joined a group for an exploration of a wreck 35 metres below the surface.