Polish diver’s body found, two months after drowning
Written by Writer on Friday, October 24th, 2008
Polish diver’s body found, two months after drowning
Nethy Dharma Somba , The Jakarta Post , Jayapura | Fri, 10/24/2008 1:33 PM | The Archipelago
The skeleton found by fishermen on Moor Island in Nabire, Papua, on Monday is believed to be the remains of a Polish diver who went missing during a diving trip in Papua, local authorities say.
Robert Zsupuru went missing on Aug. 29 during a trip to Cenderawasih Bay National Park with 10 other Polish nationals.
“After observing the evidence which consists of diving instruments, and cross-checking this with testimony from diving team leader Artur, we are convinced these are the remains of Zsupuru,” National park officer M Wahyudi said Thursday.
Artur is currently in Manokwari, West Papua.
Only bones remain of Zsupuru, although they form a complete skeleton with his diving equipment still attached. The remains have been taken to Nabire General Hospital.
Wahyudi said his office had contacted Artur to confirm that the diving equipment had been used by Zsupuru.
“We have asked Artur to come to Nabire to see the skeleton. We have also reported this to the Polish Embassy in Jakarta,” he said.
Separately, Nabire Police chief of detectives Second Insp. Martua Silitonga said the remains had been found by fishermen at Moor Island, around six hours by speedboat from Nabire.
Police could only identify the remains as a 183-centimeter tall man of around 45 years of age.
Nabire Police retrieved diving equipment including one black “Legend” life vest, one black/chrome oxygen tank with an inscription “Coltri SUB” and serial number DOT 3AL300AS405244M400206C05 DALTIS80-TC, one “Legend” standard regulator, one Spiro primer regulator and one submersible pressure gauge (SPG).
Also retrieved were one “Best Divers” small black diving flashlight, one diving table, one blue-colored diving pencil, three tin weights of one kilogram each and two of 500 grams, one red flag with an inscription “www.Lola.cz” and a float balloon attached to a yellow nylon rope of about six meters in length.
It appears Zsupuru’s body had been carried by ocean currents because he had gone diving off Matas Island. Moor Island, where the remains were found, is around 100 kilometers away, across Cenderawasih Bay.
Zsupuru and the other Polish divers, who are all licensed divers, started diving off Matas Island on Aug. 27 after securing a permit until Sept. 4.
They were in the area for three days before Zsupuru went missing after descending to a depth of more than 80 meters.
Limited equipment had prevented Wondama Bay Police and rescue workers from retrieving Zsupuru’s body during the search and rescue mission in September.
The 1,453,500-hectare Cenderawasih Bay National Park is a popular tourist destination, especially among divers, as it is home to some 150 species of coral and 209 species of fish.
