We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

A teacher drowned while scuba diving at a popular beauty spot, an inquest heard.

Ildelindo Da Silveira Carvalho, known to friends as Carvalho, was an experienced diver but chose to enter the water in unsafe conditions, a coroner ruled on Wednesday.

The 59-year-old was diving with a friend at Lulworth Cove, Dorset, when he went missing on August 7 last year.

Dorset Coroner’s Court heard the area is generally considered to be safe and although the cove is sheltered, on the day he went missing the water was “choppy” and the conditions meant it was not advisable to go diving.

The inquest heard Carvalho’s body was found in the cove three days later.

Assistant coroner Richard Middleton ruled the death was a misadventure and recorded the cause of death as drowning.

The inquest heard the secondary school teacher had lived and worked at Brockwood Park School in Hampshire for more than 20 years.

Mr Middleton said the school had paid tribute to the much-loved teacher, who was an “integral part of the community” and has had a connection with the school since 1987.

One of Carvalho’s colleagues, Raymond Cheung, had gone to Dorset for the diving trip alongside former colleague and friend Julien Mardelet.

While Mr Cheung would not be diving, Mr Mardelet had previous experience and would go into the water with Carvalho, the court heard.

Mr Cheung told the inquest they had arrived in Portland the day before and were “monitoring” the weather to see if it was possible to dive.

He told the inquest: “Carvalho knew it wouldn’t be suitable in the morning so there was no rush.

“We went for brunch then went to a place the name of which I can’t recall, in order to have the oxygen tanks refilled.

“We again looked at the weather and spoke to the staff there and decided it was not possible to dive at Portland as it was too choppy. The plan was to go to Chesil Beach. This was too choppy and then there was a discussion about trying the other side.

“I don’t know how it came about but we then decided to go to Lulworth Cove and see what conditions were there.”

He told the inquest Carvalho said the tanks had enough oxygen for them to dive for up to three hours, if they did not go too deep.

The conditions at Lulworth were said to be better than the other locations and so Carvalho and Mr Mardelet decided to dive.

Mr Cheung said when they got to Lulworth, his friend was a “little agitated” as plans had changed but added: “But once kitted up they seemed in good spirits. They entered the water together and checked each other’s equipment.

“Carvalho was a bit more intrepid. Julien resurfaced around half an hour later at 5pm and came out of the water – he had separated from Carvalho.

“For him, the dive was over, but he expected Carvalho to be diving for longer. There hadn’t been a time scale discussed, but by quarter to seven, I was beginning to wonder where he was.

“I was thinking he must be getting hungry as I was and he hadn’t eaten since brunch. The conditions weren’t great so it thought he would have had enough by then.”

He said by around 8pm he called 999 to inform the Coastguard to report Carvalho missing.

Mr Mardelet, who now works for NHS as a data analyst, told the inquest Carvalho was an experienced diver who had previously dived to depths of 45m, whereas he had only ever gone down to a maximum of 16m.

He said: “He wanted to go out of the cove into the sea as it would be clearer and deeper. I said I had no intention of going out to open sea, it was my first dive of the year so I intended to stay quite close to the shore.”

Mr Mardelet said the last time he saw Carvalho he had indicated he did not want to go further out by “waving his hand and pointing back towards the beach”.

He said: “We were both using snorkels rather than breathing apparatus. I took the snorkel out and said I was not going out further. He acknowledged what I said, but sort of shrugged his shoulders and turned and carried out into the cove. I did not see him after that.”

When Carvalho was found by police three days later, his mask was said to be “half on” and his snorkel was missing. He also still had his fins on his feet.

Mr Middleton said: “I appreciate that diving is a popular pastime. There are risks associated with it and one can take all sorts of steps to mitigate risks so that diving is a safe pastime.

“On 7 August 2021, it appears Carvalho was aware of the prevailing weather conditions certainly present in the open water. He had chosen not to take every step one could take to ensure the safest dive possible.

“I’m satisfied that Carvalho was an experienced diver who chose to commence his dive on the 7 August in the knowledge of all those risks that were present and certainly those he was aware of at the time.

“When someone pursues a course of conduct with known risk and the individual knows that risk and pursues it voluntarily, that leads me to a conclusion of misadventure.”

Source: Read Full Article