Tragic diver had fear of heights

THE Polish diver who lost his life as he pushed out the boundaries in underwater cave exploration in this country had a fear of heights.

Artur Kozlowski, who died while exploring a cave in south Co Galway last week, was renowned as one of the leading divers operating in this country.

The 33 year old had been credited with bravely exploring uncharted underwater caves, but his funeral mass in Co Galway was told yesterday by his sister Matgorzata that while her brother knew no fear in his hobby, ironically he was scared of heights.

Gort parish priest, Fr Tommy Marrinan, said there was also a certain irony to the fact that the funeral Mass of a man who enjoyed exploring underwater caves should take place in a church which was under four feet of water in the floods which ravaged the county two years ago.

Fr Marrinan told the large congregation at Kiltartan church that Artur Kozlowski was very popular with local people when he visited regularly to explore the labyrinth of caves in the south Galway area.

Mr Kozlowski, who lived at Shankill in Dublin, lost his life when he failed to return from a solo dive last Monday week. His body was found the following day and was brought to the surface after an arduous operation by divers last Saturday.

“He was loved by so many people here and he was special to this community,” said Fr Marrinan.

Artur’s mother Jola and his sisters Agata and Matgorzta travelled from their home in Poznan for the funeral, and they were joined by members of the Polish community in Ireland along with local people from the Gort area, gardaí, divers, and members of the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation.

Artur’s sister Matgorzata, in an emotional address in Polish and English, expressed her family’s appreciation for all who had helped and offered support, and said her brother was a true adventurer.

“He was a man who would go against the flow, he would go where other people would not. But he was afraid of heights and would sometimes wake up from a nightmare about heights.

“In a cave you never know what you will find around the next corner, he was going his own way and wherever his heart took him,” she said.