SENSACIONES
6th December 2008, 08:38
An open verdict was today recorded on a teenage scuba diver who mysteriously vanished after surfacing from a holiday dive with his father.
Louis Price, 14, disappeared off Brixham, South Devon, on August 12 after diving with his father Stephen from their rigid inflatable craft.
An extensive search failed to find the youngster, whose body was recovered from the sea near Brixham on September 1.
Coroner Ian Arrow said at the inquest in Torquay, Devon, that the medical cause of death of the youngster, from Badminton Road, Newport, South Wales, was unascertained, but there were no suspicious circumstances.
He said he was satisfied the teenager was a comparatively experienced diver.
"The telling feature is there was no air in his tank," said the coroner. "We do not know the precise explanation."
The coroner said he would record an open verdict because there was no appropriate medical cause of death, and it was only supposition he had run out of air at the time he surfaced.
Police diver PC Peter Gough told the inquest it was possible Louis had insufficient air to put more into the diving suit he was wearing.
"If you have not got sufficient air you can drop back below the surface. The normal procedure is to start ditching kit," he said.
Stephen Price said in a statement to the inquest that he and his son were diving together and after around 20 minutes on the bottom they both gave a signal to surface, stopping at five metres for safety.
He said his son signalled to go up, adding: "He looked fine and not distressed.
"I could see him two or three feet behind me and when I was a couple of feet from the surface, he looked fine."
Mr Price said he surfaced, then had to be picked up by another boat after his own craft began to drift away because of engine failure.
"At this point I realised something must have gone horribly wrong and something happened to Louis," he said.
Louis' mother Tracy said in a statement that she saw her son come to the surface after his father.
Mrs Price, who was also in the RIB boat, said: "He did not look distressed."
She said she lost sight of her son when the other dive boat arrived and got in the way.
"I felt he must have drifted outwards," she said, adding: "He was a strong swimmer who loved the water."
She said the death of her son had been "devastating" for the family.
Her sister Karen, who was also in the RIB, said she saw Louis surface and give the "OK" signal, but lost sight of him when the other boat arrived on the scene.
Her husband Gary also saw Mr Price and Louis surface, and he saw the teenager for the last time before the other dive boat cut off his view of him.
Louis Price, 14, disappeared off Brixham, South Devon, on August 12 after diving with his father Stephen from their rigid inflatable craft.
An extensive search failed to find the youngster, whose body was recovered from the sea near Brixham on September 1.
Coroner Ian Arrow said at the inquest in Torquay, Devon, that the medical cause of death of the youngster, from Badminton Road, Newport, South Wales, was unascertained, but there were no suspicious circumstances.
He said he was satisfied the teenager was a comparatively experienced diver.
"The telling feature is there was no air in his tank," said the coroner. "We do not know the precise explanation."
The coroner said he would record an open verdict because there was no appropriate medical cause of death, and it was only supposition he had run out of air at the time he surfaced.
Police diver PC Peter Gough told the inquest it was possible Louis had insufficient air to put more into the diving suit he was wearing.
"If you have not got sufficient air you can drop back below the surface. The normal procedure is to start ditching kit," he said.
Stephen Price said in a statement to the inquest that he and his son were diving together and after around 20 minutes on the bottom they both gave a signal to surface, stopping at five metres for safety.
He said his son signalled to go up, adding: "He looked fine and not distressed.
"I could see him two or three feet behind me and when I was a couple of feet from the surface, he looked fine."
Mr Price said he surfaced, then had to be picked up by another boat after his own craft began to drift away because of engine failure.
"At this point I realised something must have gone horribly wrong and something happened to Louis," he said.
Louis' mother Tracy said in a statement that she saw her son come to the surface after his father.
Mrs Price, who was also in the RIB boat, said: "He did not look distressed."
She said she lost sight of her son when the other dive boat arrived and got in the way.
"I felt he must have drifted outwards," she said, adding: "He was a strong swimmer who loved the water."
She said the death of her son had been "devastating" for the family.
Her sister Karen, who was also in the RIB, said she saw Louis surface and give the "OK" signal, but lost sight of him when the other boat arrived on the scene.
Her husband Gary also saw Mr Price and Louis surface, and he saw the teenager for the last time before the other dive boat cut off his view of him.