Body of missing diver discovered by rescue workers in Galway cave

RESCUE workers searching for a diver in a cave in Galway last night found a body.

It is believed to be that of Artur Kozlowski, a 34-year-old experienced diver who went missing in a cave at Kiltartan on Monday evening.

The body was discovered by a diver who entered the cave yesterday evening after two earlier dives had failed to locate the missing Polish man.

Mr Kozlowski, who moved to Ireland in 2006, was well aware of the dangers and last year outlined the difficulties and dangers of caving.

He had explored caves in the Gort area of south Galway for the past few years.

A year ago, after completing what was believed to be the longest traverse of a water-filled underground cave in Ireland and Britain, he outlined the difficulties.

“Visibility was poor, sometimes limited to half a metre, and in this situation it can be very difficult to find the route, particularly if you disturb the silt, so we found it was useful to dive during rainy periods so we could use underground rivers to guide us.

“It means we had to be totally self-sufficient, as there is no rescue — only recovery, if you are lucky,” he said.

Mr Kozlowski, a quantity surveyor who worked in Dublin, was a regular visitor to south Co Galway to explore caves. He used to stay with the Nolan family in Kiltartan, near Gort.

The Irish Cave Rescue Organisation said Mr Kozlowski followed all protocol measures before he went for the dive around 3pm on Monday afternoon.

He informed two colleagues, was fully equipped with diving apparatus and had enough oxygen to last until 9.30pm. The alarm was raised when he did not return.

The body has remained in the cave overnight. It will be taken to the surface today for formal identification.