Diver's horrifying death after ignoring warnings and filming final moments

Irish Daily Mirror

04-06-2025

A harrowing clip has captured a diver's final moments before his tragic death at a notorious diving spot after ignoring warnings about the perilous nature of his actions.
On April 28, 2000, Russian-Israeli diver Yuri Lipski took the plunge into the infamous Blue Hole in the Red Sea off Egypt and tragically never emerged again.
It is believed that Lipski succumbed to the effects of nitrogen narcosis nearly 300 feet below the surface, where the intense pressure likely caused him to experience euphoria, confusion, hallucinations, and poor decision-making.
In a grim twist, Lipski's helmet camera was found intact, providing a haunting glimpse into his last moments, as reported by the Daily Star.
The recovered footage eerily displays the ocean floor while the sound of Lipski's breathing resonates ominously. Lipski had hoped to film the renowned arch of the Blue Hole, according to Tarek Omar, a technical diver who had met Lipski in Egypt prior to his ill-fated dive, reports the Mirror US.
Omar, known as 'The Elder Diver', had warned against the risky solo dive without proper training. "I said 'OK, so you'll need two weeks' training with me first, and then we'll film'," Omar recounted to The Guardian.
However, constrained by time, Lipski turned down the offer for training and went ahead with the dive alone. His body was discovered the following morning.
The Blue Hole, a submarine sinkhole that attracts divers from around the world, is infamous for its treacherous conditions, with some estimates suggesting that as many as 200 people may have lost their lives there.
"Recovering bodies is a case-by-case thing; I do it pro bono," Omar told Scene Arabia. "It is a very critical and difficult thing to do – it requires more than just being a technical diver, it takes more than experience. It is very hard because you dive deep and you stay down to locate the remains."
With around 200 fatalities recorded, The Blue Hole remains an infamous yet beguiling destination for scuba enthusiasts globally. This submarine sinkhole, which plummets to approximately 100 metres at its deepest point and features two oceanic connections, presents dual allure and peril—a stone's throw from the shoreline.
For Omar, this renowned diving haven has become second nature. "I know it like my kitchen," he disclosed to Cairo Scene, reminiscing over his initial journey into what would become numerous retrieval voyages.
A veteran of nearly two decades exploring the depths of the Blue Hole, he once surfaced from the abyss with a title in hand subsequent to an astonishing 209-metre dive.