UK diver dies on Greek film shoot

A British man has died during an underwater filming mission, the Greek government has said.

The diver, 37, was part of a National Geographic crew exploring a British ship, which sank during World War I off the island of Kea in the Aegean Sea.

A military helicopter flew him to Greece's naval hospital in Athens, but he did not regain consciousness.

The Merchant Marine ministry says the man died from suspected decompression sickness, commonly called the bends.

The man, one of Britain's most experienced dive masters, was leading a filming expedition around the Britannic, the sister ship of the Titanic.

Medical team

BBC correspondent Malcolm Brabant said the Britannic was regarded as the Mount Everest of underwater challenges, as it is right at the edge of a diver's capability.

CAUSES OF THE BENDS When diving, nitrogen in a diver's air supply dissolves into blood and tissues at a higher rate than normal because of the pressure of being underwater As a diver comes to the surface, the pressure decreases and, if the diver has ascended too quickly, the nitrogen can form bubbles in their blood vessels and tissues This can interfere with the flow of blood and causes the painful condition known as the bends In some cases the condition can be fatal

He said, according to a source on board a support vessel, something went terribly wrong as the team were filming near the Britannic's bow.

The diver surfaced so quickly that he did not follow the decompression routine and suffered an attack of the bends.

The source said the mission had a full medical support team which did everything possible to save him.

The diver, who has not yet been named, had been on three previous missions to Britannic.

The wreck is owned by British businessman, Simon Mills, who intends to transform it into an underwater tourist attraction. He has announced plans to take tourists down to the hulk in mini submarines.

HMHS Britannic was a former White Star liner and a sister ship of the Titanic. It sunk after hitting a mine in 1916.