Diving experts stated that this accident was caused by the diver’s lack of experience and panic when faced with an emergency. They also noted that cave diving carries significant risks and requires continuous training as well as the ability to handle various underwater emergencies.
Shenzhen diver planned to break domestic cave diving record
The three divers involved in the accident were members of the Shenzhen Underwater Exploration Club: Zhou Pei and Wang Tao, along with their more experienced team leader, Wang Yuan.
On the afternoon of April 18, Wei Yucheng from Daxing Township passed by the source of the Chengjiang River and saw the three of them on the shore, carrying equipment and preparing to dive. Wei Yucheng stopped to watch and helped them carry oxygen tanks.
A villager living near the source of the Chengjiang River told Nanguo Morning Post reporters that the three had moved some diving equipment to the dive site the previous day, the 17th, and placed it at a depth of several dozen meters underwater. The next day, before diving, they brought additional diving gear.
“They planned to break the domestic diving record with a depth of 170 meters,” Wei Yucheng said, adding that another onlooker present at the time also knew about this plan.
The Du’an Tourism Bureau confirmed this intention after launching an investigation.
That afternoon, the two younger men, Wang Yuan and Wang Tao, began their dive into the cave at the source of the Chengjiang River after making preparations, while the older Zhou Pei stayed onshore to assist with emergency response.
Incident occurred – attempted rapid ascent for self-rescue
About half an hour after the two entered the cave, Zhou Pei also started his deep dive. After descending to 160 meters at the source of the Chengjiang River, Wang Yuan and Wang Tao decided to return the same way. Due to the complex underwater terrain, the two slowly searched for an exit toward the cave opening.
At a depth of 90 meters from the surface, they encountered a major problem: Wang Tao’s oxygen tank ran out of air. Due to operational issues, Wang Tao failed to switch to his backup oxygen tank. As a result, Wang Yuan used his own oxygen mask to share air with Wang Tao alternately.
While ascending, Wang Tao’s guide rope snapped. Recalling the incident, Wang Yuan said Wang Tao became panicked and turned on his thruster, attempting to quickly escape underwater—an action that proved fatal and directly led to Wang Tao’s death.
It is understood that during deep diving, divers must pause at intervals to decompress in order to avoid damage to internal organs caused by pressure changes. Seeing Wang Tao rapidly ascend, Wang Yuan tried to stop him but failed. In the end, Wang Tao went missing in the complex underwater cave system at the source of the Chengjiang River.
Wang Yuan also sustained minor injuries while trying to rescue Wang Tao, but fortunately, he met Zhou Pei on the way back. With Zhou Pei’s help, the two safely returned to the shore of the Chengjiang River.
Foreign experts – too late for rescue dive
After reaching the shore, Wang Yuan immediately called Pierre, a Frenchman who was in Du’an helping the local tourism bureau map the underground cave system at the source of the Chengjiang River, as well as the local police. Subsequently, the Du’an County government and tourism bureau learned of the incident, and local authorities quickly gathered several foreign diving experts who were in Du’an to discuss the search and rescue for the missing Wang Tao.
A rescue plan was finalized in the early hours of the 19th. Early on the 19th, six foreign diving experts arrived at the source of the Chengjiang River to prepare for the dive to search for the missing Wang Tao. Earlier, personnel from relevant departments in Du’an County had also arrived at the scene. At 10:20 a.m., rescuers began diving. By 1 p.m., Wang Tao’s body was found and brought to the surface.
The first diving expert to search for Wang Tao, Eva, said he found Wang Tao at a depth of 51 meters, stuck against the ceiling of a cave passage, unconscious and confirmed dead. Pierre then dived into the cave where Wang Tao’s body was found, removed his gear, tied a rope around him, and pulled him out. Other diving experts onshore assisted in bringing Wang Tao’s body to the surface.
Wang Yuan admitted to reporters that they had not filed a report with the relevant Du’an County authorities for this diving activity, stating that such activities did not require government reporting. Earlier that morning, Wang Tao’s relatives had also arrived in Du’an to handle the aftermath.
Experts warn against setting arbitrary depth goals
Pierre, a French diving instructor with 18 years of diving experience and 16 years of cave diving experience, said the accident should be attributed to the divers’ lack of experience.
Pierre explained that cave diving requires long-term training and extensive experience before progressing to greater depths, and that divers must learn to handle different emergencies at each depth, as the nature of these emergencies varies. He added that his current personal depth record is 151 meters, set just last week in Du’an.
“It’s like when you see a snake and immediately want to run away,” said Éva. From his observation, Wang Tao’s oxygen running out combined with the loss of his guide rope made him want to immediately escape the underwater environment—a fatal reaction in cave diving. Without proper decompression, the thruster rapidly carried him upward, causing his head to hit a rock inside the cave.
Pascal, the holder of the 162-meter domestic cave diving record and known as the “King of World Cave Diving” from France, and Mia, the “Queen of Ice Diving” from Finland, told reporters that they never set specific depth goals for each dive. Instead, they decide whether to continue descending based on actual cave conditions and their own capabilities.
Diver goes missing underwater
Guangxi News Network - Nanguo Morning Post Hechi Report (Reporter Lan Feng) On the afternoon of April 18, a diver from Shenzhen went missing while diving at the source of the Chengjiang River in Du’an Yao Autonomous County. After the incident, the Du’an local government urgently consulted with diving experts to devise a rescue plan and carried out full-scale rescue efforts.
It has been learned that this diving team consisted of three men, all members of a Shenzhen-based diving club. On April 17, the three arrived at the source of the Chengjiang River in Daxing Township, Du’an, to survey the terrain in preparation for the next day’s dive. On the afternoon of April 18 at around 3 p.m., they returned to the source of the Chengjiang River to dive. Two divers entered the water first; half an hour later, the third diver also went in. About an hour later, the later-entering diver and one of the earlier divers surfaced together, though both were in critical condition and were subsequently sent to the hospital by onlookers. As of midnight on the 19th, the missing diver had not resurfaced.
On the evening of the 18th, a reporter from Nanguo Morning News learned from the Du'an Tourism Bureau that the three diving enthusiasts had come to Du'an to dive without reporting to the relevant authorities, and they were completely unaware of each other's diving activities. It is understood that previously, the Du'an Tourism Bureau had invited experts to map the underwater terrain at the source of the Chengjiang River, but this work has not yet been completed, and relevant safety measures are still under construction. Therefore, this diving project has not yet been officially opened to diving enthusiasts across the country.
At around 11 p.m. that night, the reporter learned that the two rescued divers had been out of life-threatening danger in the hospital. It is reported that due to the complex underwater terrain of the Chengjiang River and the fact that diving is a specialized sport, the relevant departments in Du'an are currently discussing rescue plans with French diving experts and are making every effort to carry out the rescue.