A seasoned recreational diver who was exploring the wreck of a German battleship in the popular diving site Scapa Flow in Scotland died after being struck by the propeller of a boat, an accident that was caused by a lack of sufficient lookout, investigations have established.
Paul Smith, 70, was exploring the wreck of SMS Markgraf in Scapa Flow off the coast of Orkney when he was struck by the rotating propeller of the UK-registered dive workboat Karin on September 28, 2023.
Smith was diving from a second dive workboat, Jean Elaine, that was also supporting divers exploring the wreck.
The Marine Accident Investigation Board (MAIB) has now released its report on the accident, highlighting that Karin’s skipper was not maintaining a sufficient lookout despite manoeuvring in an area with multiple submerged divers.
The report also shows that the risk to divers was increased by the simultaneous operation of two dive boats on the same wreck and that existing harbour authority controls were insufficient to provide a robust safety barrier.
Scapa Bay is the resting place of many shipwrecks sunk during World Wars I and II. Specifically, the site is famous for the internment and scuttling of the German High Seas fleet at the end of WWI.
The wreck of Markgraf at a depth of 45 meters was one of seven battleships that remained in Scapa Flow, which is a popular site for recreational divers and was recently designated as a protected site by the Scottish government.
On typical charters, divers often carry out two dives per day from their respective vessels before returning to port each night.
In its investigation report, MAIB shows that on the day of the accident, Karin was on day six of a one-week charter for a group of 10 recreational leisure divers.
Jean Elaine was under charter for the same period for a group of 12 recreational leisure divers, including Smith and his dive buddy.
