Scubaism

Twenty hours after he was reported missing, off Tanjung Tembeling here, a Japanese national was found alive in the sea off the port here, with his diving suit on. A group of fishermen hauled him into their boat, after spotting him at about 8am yesterday.

Yosshindri Miyazawa, 32, a factory manager at the Gebeng industrial area, was brought to Pengkalan Besar in Beserah and then sent to the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital. Hospital director Dr Ardi Awang said Yosshindri would have to be warded for observation as he had been in the water for more than 10 hours. The Japanese is in stable condition.

Yosshindri’s wife, Joann Chong Siaw Wei, 28, was seen pushing him in a wheelchair to a ward. Their German friend, Ernst Turnwald, 54, accompanied her. Turnwald, his 13-year-old son and Yosshindri had gone on a diving trip together on Sunday.

Turnwald made a police report later that day that Yosshindri had gone missing at 1pm while diving some eight nautical miles north east of Tanjung Tembeling. A search and rescue operation involving the police, the civil defence corps and the navy was mounted at 3pm. However, it was close to 20 hours before the fishermen found him.

Turnwald said he was happy that Yosshindri had been found and that he was safe. “Yosshindri called his wife to inform her that he had been saved by the fishermen and we immediately came here to see him,” he added.