A diving instructor faces the possibility of criminal charges following the disappearance of an Argentine woman during a scuba trip.
On July 6, Thiago Nahuel Pocovi was brought before the court concerning the death of Sofía Devries, who went missing on February 16 while diving at the site of the former Hu Shun Yu shipwreck near Puerto Madryn, as reported by Todo Noticias.
The 26-year-old instructor is being charged by prosecutors for continuing the dive despite challenging underwater conditions that severely restricted visibility, making it hard to monitor the entire group, according to El Chubut.
Underwater, Devries was observed experiencing distress and removed her regulator. Although her diving partner attempted to assist, reports from Todo Noticias indicate that she ultimately drowned. Her body was found days later following a comprehensive search operation.
Chief Prosecutor Alex Williams informed the court, via El Chubut, that visibility during the dive was “practically zero.” It was revealed that Devries had only completed her initial scuba certification the day before and was on her second certification dive 900 meters off the shore when she disappeared.
According to Williams, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) certification requires instructors to maintain supervision and direct contact with their divers. He alleged that Pocovi failed to do so, losing sight of some of the divers in his care.
Defense attorney Adrián Peroy did not oppose the prosecutor’s request to open the investigation, but maintained that his client was innocent and fully complied with all protocols, while also disputing the version of events laid out by the prosecution, El Chubut reported.
Pocovi—who appeared virtually from Buenos Aires—exercised his right to remain silent during the proceedings, according to La Nacion.
According to Dive Magazine, the former Chinese fishing vessel was sunk in 2017 to serve as an artificial reef and has become a popular diving spot, typically used for “advanced” training dives.