The divers were in the waters of Komodo National Park, exploring this area of unspoilt coral reefs and marine life. The park is a tropical paradise and is more than 300 miles east for the nearest city, Denpasar, capital of Bali. Komodo island is famous as the exclusive natural habitat of the Komodo dragon
Kathleen Mitchinson’s husband Ernest Lewandowsk, is also a dive master at their dive company Reefseekers. He said the search is hampered by lack of aircraft fuel in the remote area.
This is the saddest thing. Imagine wanting to go search for your wife and her party, willing and able to do so, but not having the tools you need to get it done!
One diver who has experienced the currents in the Komodo National Park waters told the BBC recently that “the currents in the area can be ferocious”. He told BBC News:
“I certainly remember thinking at the time when I was diving there that these were some of the strongest currents I’d ever dived in anywhere in the world. “The nature of the currents is that they can take you completely by surprise. You can be diving along thinking ‘this is a perfectly normal dive’ and then turn a corner and all of a sudden you’re being whisked off at what seems like 100mph.”
The search will be back on tomorrow but the outlook is quite grim. I don’t think I’d be scuba diving in an area notorious for strong currents ever, no matter how pristine the waters or how beautiful the coral are. I hope this man finds his wife and the other divers tomorrow.
