CHON BURI — 17 June 2026, A Cambodian man who dived into the sea off Koh Larn to retrieve fish traps for his family was found dead after two days missing, with police saying he was using substandard scuba equipment that likely caused him to drown.
The body of Seng Tyno, 37, a speedboat operator living on the island, was found floating about 500 metres from where he was last seen, off Thian Beach on the southern tip of Koh Larn, at around 09:30 on Wednesday.
Rescue teams from the Sawang Boriboon Foundation had been searching for him since 15 June, both underwater and on the surface, but strong currents and the weight of his diving gear made the search difficult.
His wife, Khwanta Krungra, 39, identified the body in tears, saying her husband had told her he was going to dive for fish to feed the family and sell to local seafood restaurants. She last spoke to him at noon on 15 June before he disappeared.
When the body was recovered, he was found wearing a black scuba suit with an air tank and a single regulator hose. Investigators said he was missing a pressure gauge and an air supply meter — both standard safety items for scuba diving. The air tank was found completely empty. He was also carrying 10 lead weights totalling around 6–8 kg.
Pol. Capt. Chayaphon Yuurot, the investigating officer from Pattaya City Police’s Koh Larn unit, said the preliminary finding was that the victim ran out of air at a depth of 8–10 metres and was unable to surface due to the heavy weights and the absence of a buoyancy control device.
The body will be sent for a full autopsy before being released to the family for funeral rites.