Coroner's Finding: SR

58y · Male·drowning

A 58-year-old man died by drowning while hookah diving off the Tasmanian coast. He was using second-hand equipment purchased online that had multiple safety deficiencies: inadequate filtration allowing contaminants and rust into the air supply, no snorkel increasing carbon monoxide exposure risk, excessively long hose (173m) reducing air pressure and flow, and an unsuitable scuba regulator designed for high-pressure systems rather than low-pressure hookah application. Contributing factors included his poor physical fitness (morbid obesity), lack of buoyancy compensator, heavy weight vest, and diving in thick bull kelp. The coroner noted the compressor's air delivery was compromised, forcing him to struggle for adequate breath. He panicked, ascended rapidly, removed his regulator at surface, became entangled in kelp, and drowned. The case highlights risks of unregulated home-made diving equipment and lack of mandatory training or fitness assessment for hookah divers in Tasmania.