Gap year tourist drowned on first scuba dive in Australia

A BRITISH tourist who drowned while diving on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef went missing after her instructor strayed from the planned route and then looked away, an inquest heard.

Bethany Farrell, 23, from Colchester, Essex, was travelling with friends and was just several weeks into a gap year when she drowned in 2015. She was on her first scuba dive, at Blue Pearl Bay, a popular diving spot in Queensland.

An inquest in Mackay heard that Fiona Mctavish, the instructor, took an alternative route to avoid a separate group. She looked away to establish her bearings and looked back to find Ms Farrell had disappeared. During introductory dives, instructors are supposed to remain within reach of divers.

Ms Mctavish said she took Melissa Clark, Ms Farrell’s companion, to the surface and then spent an hour searching before spotting Ms Farrell “in deeper water”. Her body was found 30 minutes later at a depth of 50ft.

Water conditions were described by local divers as “terrible”.

It has since emerged that Ms Farrell made it to the surface before drowning.

Phillip Brown, a crew member of the other tour group, said he saw Ms Farrell at the surface, waving in distress.

Patrick and Caron Farrell, her parents, said they believed the death was “completely avoidable” and resulted from a “string of systemic failings”.

“No stone will be left unturned in our fight for truth and justice for Bethany,’’ Mr Farrell told Queensland’s Courier Mail newspaper.

Mr Farrell said he hoped the inquest would lead to an overhaul in work practices and legal action against anyone found at fault. The inquest is due to continue until tomorrow.