A British music producer who died while scuba diving off Byron Bay in New South Wales may have been suffering symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and using faulty dive equipment, a court has heard.
The NSW deputy coroner on Monday heard that Karl Bareham was pronounced dead at about midday on 24 September 2019 at The Pass, a beach and surf spot in Byron Bay.
Bareham had been on a scuba dive trip to Nguthungulli/Julian Rocks about 2.5km offshore at the time.
Magistrate David O’Neil heard the 37-year-old had arrived in Australia the day before his death and was to tour with City and Colour musician Dallas Green.
In his opening remarks at the inquest, counsel assisting the coroner, Rob Ranken, said there was “controversy” around the exact circumstances of Bareham’s death, including the cause of death, his allocated dive buddy on the Sundive tour and whether parts of his hired diving equipment were functioning according to the manufacturer’s specifications.
The court heard that after entering the water on the calm and sunny day, Bareham indicated he was having trouble equalising and then experienced problems with buoyancy control, before signalling he was OK.
The group continued to a part of the dive spot known as “the nursery”, Ranken told the court. The next time the guide saw Bareham, he had stopped swimming and was lying face up without his regulator. His face was “not good”, the guide told investigators.
Ranken asked how nobody noticed Bareham was “in difficulty” until he was found on the ocean floor with his regulator removed or dislodged from his mouth.
Expert witnesses at the inquest will include diving equipment technicians and three doctors, all of whom have determined different causes of death: drowning in saltwater, immersion pulmonary oedema and a medical event – possibly an alcohol withdrawal syndrome seizure – leading to drowning.
Both Bareham’s driver on the morning of the dive and his dive guide said they smelled alcohol on his breath but he did not appear to be affected by alcohol, Ranken told the court.
The court heard Bareham’s mouthpiece lugs were torn in the incident, suggesting a possible seizure.
A police diver using Bareham’s regulators found the breathing equipment needed “mild force” to operate, while another dive expert said the equipment was set outside manufacturers’ specifications and was “dangerous”.
The court heard the diving equipment may have been affected by saltwater and sand after the incident – when it was left on the beach during resuscitation efforts.
A Sundive log in May 2019 noted the second-stage regulator Bareham had used was “leaking” and had been manually “tuned” by a staff member who was not a qualified technician, Ranken said.
In the court for the first day of the five-day hearing were Bareham’s father, Keith, and sister, Lauren, who had flown from the UK for proceedings.
Bareham had undertaken 21 dives and had completed a refresher course on the morning of the dive. He held a PADI certification.
Bareham was living in Canada at the time of his death. The court heard he was physically out of shape and depressed but had been in good spirits when he arrived in Australia.
