56-year-old diver dies during recreational dive at Cala Mochuela in Almería

Fatal incident at Cala Mochuela

A 56-year-old man died on Saturday morning while practicing recreational scuba diving in the coastal waters of Cala Mochuela. The cove belongs to the municipality of Cuevas del Almanzora, located in the Levante region of Almería province in Andalusia. The waters where the incident took place are situated along the coastal border between Cuevas del Almanzora and the neighbouring municipality of Pulpí. The diver had traveled to the area to take part in a scheduled diving session in the Mediterranean Sea. He was accompanied by other divers and was operating under the guidance of diving instructors who were present in the water during the excursion. The dive group operated from a boat anchored offshore to explore the coastal seabed.

Reported dive depths and medical emergency

Emergency accounts presented differing figures regarding the precise depth at which the diver was submerged when the emergency occurred. Initial coordination logs noted that the diver was at a depth of approximately 25 meters below the surface. In contrast, witness statements and emergency service spokespersons in other accounts indicated that the diver was operating at roughly 35 meters alongside instructors. While at depth, the 56-year-old man experienced an acute medical problem. During the emergency call, a witness informed authorities that the diver had suffered a sudden physical crisis underwater, pointing to a possible epileptic seizure as the cause of his distress.

Evacuation aboard a zodiac boat

Immediately after noticing that the diver was in severe distress, his diving companions and instructors initiated an underwater recovery. The group brought the unresponsive man to the surface and transferred him onto an inflatable zodiac craft operating with the expedition. The crew used the zodiac boat to transport the victim across the water and away from the dive location in order to reach incoming medical personnel. While the boat was en route, witnesses on the scene maintained telephone communication with emergency dispatchers to provide updates on the diver's condition and coordinate a rendezvous point with terrestrial and maritime rescue units.

Emergency deployment and rescue efforts

The emergency coordination centre for 112 Andalucía received multiple calls requesting urgent assistance for the diver beginning at approximately 11:00 on Saturday. In response, the coordinating room mobilised an intervention involving multiple regional and local agencies. The emergency response included ambulances and medical staff from the Centro de Emergencias Sanitarias 061, officers from the Guardia Civil, maritime rescue vessels from Salvamento Marítimo, civil defence personnel from Protección Civil, and local municipal beach services. Responders met the zodiac craft and attempted emergency resuscitation measures on the diver. Despite the arrival of specialised medical staff and rescue teams, responders were unable to save his life, and the 56-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.