Four Experienced Divers Missing Off Samed Island, Chonburi
Four experienced foreign divers went missing off Samed Island in Chonburi on August 14 during advanced technical diving training when they failed to surface at the scheduled time. Sea and air rescue teams were mobilized to search the area n
On August 14, the Maritime State Security Center and Chonburi Provincial Police received reports of four foreign divers missing while diving off Samed Island in Satahib District, Chonburi Province. Nathwut Anuyottha, the district chief, immediately traveled to assess the situation and prepare rescue operations.
According to initial information, the dive boat named Jer Pawdee Tour departed from Varasinhth Bridge in Samed at around 10:00 a.m., carrying eight tourists and five dive instructors. The group headed to a dive site called Rong Khon Rong Nang, though precise coordinates have not been confirmed.
Four tourists descended for Technical Diving training around 15:00, the scheduled return time. When they failed to surface, instructors searched the area but found no trace. The boat captain then contacted the Maritime State Security Center for assistance.
The four missing divers are foreign nationals: one British, two Americans, and one of unconfirmed nationality. Their names, ages, exact coordinates, and dive depth are still being verified. According to Suphichaya Karkid, 45, the girlfriend of one missing diver, all four are experienced and certified divers, with some holding instructor-level qualifications. This dive was intended as advanced technical diving training.
Suphichaya explained that at the scheduled time, divers should have sent a marker or signal to the surface so the captain could locate their exit point. When no such signal appeared, the captain and crew began searching but found nothing. She received a call around 15:00 reporting they had searched for about thirty minutes without success, prompting officials to mobilize both sea and air rescue teams. A helicopter conducted at least one aerial survey in the evening.
Of the eight tourists on the boat, four were the missing technical divers. The other four were doing shallower dives and were returned to shore, after which the boat resumed the search. Other dive operators also joined the effort. Suphichaya indicated the divers likely descended at a familiar dive site at approximately 40 meters depth, though exact coordinates remain unconfirmed.
