Han Ting - renowned Chinese cave diver presumed dead

One of China’s most recognisable divers – Han Ting – has been declared dead after he went missing in the Tianchuang cave.

There has been another tragedy in the world of diving. Sad news has come out of China that one of the Middle Kingdom’s most famous divers, Han Ting, has died while diving. He had set out to explore in the Tianchuang cave in the Guangxi Zhung region, where he was lost without a trace.

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Seen for the last time

Han Ting went missing after he went on a training dive at around 8pm on the 7th of October. It was when his team saw him for the last time. When he did not return the next morning, his companions alerted the rescue services. Members of the Flag Blue Diving Club, founded by Han Ting, also joined the rescue operation.

On the afternoon of 11th October, the dive team involved in the search released a statement saying that Han had not been found. The divers involved in the search highlighted that the entire rescue operation in the Tianchuang cave was very difficult, due to the great depth. No significant progress had been made either.

Unidentified body

A little later on the same day, another announcement was made. From the information provided we know that during a searching with an ROV, rescuers came across the body of a diver. The diver, unidentified for that moment, was trapped between in the cave at the depth of 110 metres. The rescuers then started preparing a plan to reach the body and bring it to the surface.

Han Ting was preparing to attempt to set a world depth record in cave diving. His goal was to reach a depth of 300 metres. This spring, in May, during a 12-hour dive, Han broke his own Asia record (234m) for cave diving and reached a depth of 277m (world record 286m). He carried out all dives in the Tianchuang cave.

Han Ting

He started his diving adventure 17 years ago. In that time he has come a very long way, constantly developing his skills. In addition to training, he has carried out missions related to underwater archaeology, wreck exploration and searching for the remains of Red Army soldiers. On many occasions, he has participated as a volunteer in the search for missing divers.

On Tuesday, 10th of October, Han Ting celebrated his 47th birthday. His family placed a cake near the cave entrance with the inscription: “Happy birthday and be where you want to be”.