The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has issued an urgent safety warning to dive operators across Mindoro following the deaths of two Russian tourists in the Verde Island Passage, citing the critical need for heightened vigilance in areas with strong currents and active marine life.

The stern advisory comes in the wake of a tragic incident on February 27, 2025, when two Russian divers lost their lives while diving near Pulong Bato, Brgy. San Agapito, Isla Verde, Batangas.

The divers had departed that morning from De Luna Diving Center in Barangay Aninuan, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro aboard the recreational boat “D’ Ocean Riders.”

“Dive operators, particularly those based in Puerto Galera and other parts of Mindoro, must strictly adhere to safety protocols when conducting excursions in areas known for unpredictable currents,” stated the Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog (CGDSTL) in their advisory.

According to Coast Guard reports, the dive group—consisting of one boat captain, two crew members, two master divers, and seven tourists (one Brazilian and six Russian nationals)—initially completed a dive at Sawang Dive Camp before proceeding to Pulong Bato for a second dive around 1:00 PM.

A 57-year-old Russian survivor recounted that approximately 30 minutes into the dive, the group encountered powerful underwater currents that separated them.

While he, his 18-year-old son, and their Dive Master managed to return safely to the boat, two Russian divers—a 29-year-old male identified as Ilya Peregudin and a 39-year-old male identified as Maksim Melekhov—went missing.

At approximately 1:50 PM, divers from Arkipelago Divers and Beach Resort discovered Melekhov unconscious in the waters off Pulong Bato.

Despite being immediately transported via speedboat to Sitio Aplaya, Brgy. Tabangao, Batangas, he was declared dead on arrival at St. Patrick’s Hospital Medical Center at 3:23 PM.

Officials reported the victim was found floating near the shoreline of Pulong Bato with both arms missing, injuries that Deluna Dive Center later attributed to “severe post-mortem injuries due to a shark attack” with dive gear “seemingly torn off, with the harness straps likely bitten through by sharks.”

The Coast Guard confirmed that responding personnel observed sharks in the area but pointed out that the primary cause of death was “asphyxia secondary to drowning, with massive traumatic injuries, probably secondary to large predatory attack.”

In its statement to the diving community, Deluna Dive Center described the incident as occurring when the group “encountered a sudden and powerful downward current” that swept the two victims “beyond visibility to a significant depth” while other divers managed to hold onto a reef 19 meters underwater.

PCG’s warning specifically urges Mindoro-based operators to implement more rigorous pre-dive assessments of local conditions, maintain strict buddy systems, and carry appropriate emergency equipment when operating in the Verde Island Passage, an area known for its exceptional marine biodiversity but also for terrifying diving conditions.

Local government authorities are now considering implementing new restrictions for diving activities in the island following what Coast Guard officials described as the “first incident of this nature” in their area of responsibility.

Photos: courtesy of the PCG Southern Tagalog