Lam, Wai Kim

Male·Drowning against a background of coronary artery atheroma

Wai Kim Lam, an experienced diver, died by drowning while snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef on 24 May 2010. He had coronary artery atheroma and may have been breath-hold diving. Critical clinical lessons include: (1) The importance of comprehensive pre-dive medical assessment in divers with cardiovascular risk factors; (2) Recognition that breath-hold diving poses serious risks including shallow water blackout, particularly in those with underlying cardiac disease; (3) The need for adequate supervision and lookout procedures during water activities; (4) Ensuring rescue equipment (oxygen resuscitation gear) is functional and maintained; (5) Enforcing safety protocols consistently (e.g., mandatory wetsuit use for buoyancy and thermal protection). The coroner found that non-cooperation from crew members with investigators prevented determination of whether proper safety procedures were followed, highlighting the importance of transparent incident investigation and staff cooperation in workplace safety.