A tourist lost a leg and another was left seriously hurt after an unmanned diving boat spun out of control and repeatedly sped over a group in the water when its skipper was knocked overboard.
The nightmare unfolded on Easter Sunday in French Polynesia when the vessel began circling at high speed after the captain was thrown into the sea by a wave and the emergency stop system failed.
Gianna F., 24, from Switzerland, said she ‘could hardly believe’ she survived after repeatedly diving underwater in a desperate bid to avoid the propeller as the boat looped back towards them every few seconds.
But for two others, the outcome was devastating.
Her friend Brian Pethke, 24, lost a leg in the chaos, while the diving instructor suffered two open leg fractures as the out-of-control vessel tore through the group.
‘I can hardly believe I’m still alive. I had given up on life,’ Gianna said.
The group had been diving off the island of Rangiroa after meeting at a local dive centre during her world trip.
A tourist lost a leg and another was left seriously hurt after an unmanned diving boat spun out of control and sped over a group in the water when its skipper was knocked overboard. Pictured: The boat out of control
Pictured: Footage taken from underneath shows the driverless boat spinning around wildly on the water surface
Brian Pethke, 24, lost a leg in the chaos, while the diving instructor suffered two open leg fractures as the out-of-control vessel tore through the group
She said conditions had already been rough, with strong currents, but their second dive began ‘amazing’ – spotting a tiger shark and dolphins swimming nearby.
After around 45 minutes in the water, the group resurfaced and inflated their life jackets as they waited to be picked up.
Moments later, disaster struck.
A wave hit the boat, throwing the skipper overboard and leaving the vessel unmanned as it began spinning in tight circles.
‘I tried to dive, but the suction from the boat and my life jacket kept pulling me back up,’ she said. At one point, the water around her turned red.
‘Brian looked at me in horror and said, ‘I’ve lost my leg!’, Gianna recalled.
As panic set in, Gianna swallowed water and began to lose strength.
‘I just thought: That’s it – now you’re dead,’ she said.
She was eventually dragged to safety by rescuers from another boat who risked their lives approaching the still-spinning vessel.
Brian has since returned to Berlin and faces further surgery, but said he is determined to recover
However, he now faces mounting costs, with a sports prosthetic alone priced at more than €10,000 and his current home unsuitable for wheelchair access
On board, a group of medics – including a French couple – performed emergency treatment, tying off Brian’s leg before rushing him to a small island hospital.
Gianna said there were no doctors on site when they arrived, with the medics forced to use available supplies to carry out a blood transfusion and stabilise him.
Brian has since returned to Berlin and faces further surgery, but said he is determined to recover.
However, he now faces mounting costs, with a sports prosthetic alone priced at more than €10,000 and his current home unsuitable for wheelchair access.
Gianna has since launched a fundraiser to support him – and to highlight both the beauty and dangers of diving.
