(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The experienced Algerian diver, identified as Adel Ait-Ghezala, went missing 32km (20 miles) off Dubai shores while diving with friends and his wife.
The search for a diver, who failed to emerge after free-diving without an oxygen tank last Wednesday, is still on, the Dubai Police said. The experienced Algerian diver, identified as Adel Ait-Ghezala, went missing 32km (20 miles) off Dubai shores while diving with friends and his wife.
The wife of the missing man, Rana Ghaleb, said she was on the boat on Wednesday afternoon when her husband went free-diving with two other friends. The 35-year-old victim, who was wearing a wetsuit, flippers, goggles and a modified watch, failed to emerge from the water. One of the missing diver's friends told the police that the victim is an experienced diver and was wearing a vest weighing 6kg to help him reach the bottom of the sea.
R.G. said her husband is a PhD student at the American University in Washington DC. The couple, who resides in the US, is here on a visit.
A coast guard official said several boats, divers and a helicopter have been pushed into the rescue operation since Thursday. The bad weather condition, however, is making the operation difficult. The rescue team has been searching for the missing diver in both Dubai and Sharjah waters.
Major-General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Dubai Police's Commander-in-Chief, said the rescue team's operation is also covering international waters 22 nautical miles from the Palms project in Jebel Ali. Poor visibility caused by the bad weather conditions is hampering the operation, he said.
An increase in wind speeds resulted in undersea currents and waves reaching up to 5-8 feet. He said that despite a visibility of only four feet, divers have been split into groups and are still combing the waters.
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