British diver lost at sea for days fears his son is dead
Adrian Chesters and his son, 14, were left stranded on a dive and the teenager has not yet been found
A MISSING British father who was rescued from the ocean after three days fears his son has drowned after a drugtaking boat captain allegedly left his family stranded during a dive.
Adrian Chesters, 46, was washed out to sea in Malaysia on Wednesday along with his son Nathen, 14; Alexia Molina, 18; and their diving instructor Kristine Grodem, 35.
They have all been rescued except Nathen, who has not yet been found.
The engineer, who is originally from Sheffield, said he believes his son was unable to stay afloat and drowned, according to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
Authorities in Malaysia have called off the search and asked Indonesia to take over, as it is thought the teenager would have been carried into its territory by the strong currents.
Police arrested the boat operator who transported the group to the diving site after he tested positive for drugs.
He is also being investigated for negligence.
Officers intend to assess the dive equipment and study the location where the divers were apparently abandoned.
The group had been diving near Pulau Tokong Sanggol, a small island near the coastal town of Mersing in the state of Johor, in waters around 50ft deep.
Mr Chesters and Ms Molina survived at sea for almost three days and were rescued yesterday off Indonesia’s Bintan Island, south-east of Singapore, around 50 miles from the place they had been diving. They are in hospital in a stable condition.
Ms Grodem, from Norway, was rescued on Thursday. She said they had surfaced from their hour-long dive safely but could not find their boat, and were then pulled away by strong currents.
The instructor had been training the group to obtain advanced diving licences, according to maritime officials.
Cyril Edward Nuing, Mersing district police chief, said Malaysian forces would be on stand-by to help with the search for Nathen as it continued in Indonesia.
He said: “We believe there is a high likelihood that he is no longer in Malaysian waters based on the movement of sea currents, as well as the time and location where the other victims were found.”
Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat, Johor
‘We believe there is a high likelihood that he is no longer in Malaysian waters’
police chief, said officers arrested the boat operator at 11.30pm on Thursday after he gave a statement to Mersing district police.
“He tested positive for methamphetamine use when we conducted a urine test,” said Mr Mamat. “The forensics team will arrive to conduct the investigation. We will also investigate if there is any issue of negligence.”
Richard Wills, a British friend of Ms Grodem, said he was overjoyed when he saw her name pop up on his phone. She rang him after the group had been reported missing. “I was driving to Mersing at the time and I slammed the brake so hard when I saw her name on my phone,” Mr Wills told the Malay Mail.
“Just imagine this, when your dear friend went missing, suddenly her name appeared on your mobile phone screen, calling you. I was in tears – very relieved and grateful.”
Malaysia has only been open to foreign tourists since last week after a two-year ban during the pandemic.
Since April 1, fully vaccinated people can enter the country without quarantining.