A Nepalese tourist who died during a diving course in Sydney yesterday had only recently become engaged to her partner and was due to get married in March.
Relatives told Nine News the 28-year-old, who lived in London, was visiting Australia to fulfil a lifelong dream of learning to scuba dive when the accident happened at Camp Cove, near harbourside suburb Watsons Bay, in Sydney's east, about 5pm yesterday.
The young woman was part of a group of 12 scuba diving students who had just surfaced after the training dive with Pro Dive Coogee when instructors noticed she was missing.
She was found unconscious, face down in the water, and efforts to revive her were unsuccessful.
A relative tearfully told Nine News the woman was "boisterous, fun-loving and the life of the party".
"Everyone will be missing her," he said.
Pro Dive Coogee director Russel deGroot told Nine News this was the first tragedy the company had experienced in 42 years of business.
"Everyone is heartbroken," he said. Mr deGroot told the Sydney Morning Herald Camp Cove was one of Sydney's calmest diving sites and yesterday's conditions were "close to perfect".
The group spent the morning practicing in a pool before diving at the cove.
It is not known if the woman panicked underwater, had a pre-existing medical condition or if the equipment failed.
The diving company has suspended operations, and forensic investigators are examining the scuba equipment.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8365781/dead-diver-was-soon-to-be-married
