Tragic diving accident: died in golf ball in the quarry lake

Tragic diving accident: died in golf ball in the quarry lake

In a tragic incident that occurred on November 17, 2024 in the Mühldorfer Weiher in Upper Austria, a professional diver was accidentally accidental. The 55-year-old diver was looking for lost golf balls that are often on the adjacent golf course, and the search ended in a disaster.

golf is enjoying growing popularity, and collecting golf balls from waters is not only an ecological necessity, but also a lucrative business. These “lakeballs” are usually sold according to the quality and are used as inexpensive training balls. At Amazon, for example, there are 100 used balls for around 38 euros, while new balls are significantly more expensive.

The missing diver and the saving measures

After around half an hour diving time, the diver's partner noticed that no air bubbles rose to the surface. In an immediate reaction to this, she chose the emergency call. A large rescue operation followed, in which nine water rescuers and several fire departments were mobilized. These searched the area with boats and headlights to help as quickly as possible.

After an hour, the man was finally found, but already lifeless. The fire brigade divers brought him to the bank, where the Red Cross rescue workers immediately began to revive, but without success. In addition to his profession as a diver, the deceased was known as very experienced, and the exact circumstances that led to this tragic incident remain unclear. Technical problems or human failure may have played a role.

The importance of collecting golf ball

Collecting golf balls also has an environmental component. According to a study, up to 300 million golf balls are lost annually in the United States. The balls remaining in the water crash over time to microplastics and could thus endanger the groundwater. Working under water is often difficult for divers, since the visibility can be very bad, which makes the search more difficult.

Recent incidents that took place in different waters have shown how risky it can be diving. In the past there have been several accidents in which divers fell in mortal danger or even killed. This illustrates how important caution and suitable safety precautions are in such activities.