Scuba diver lost his leg when a runaway boat hit him—then a second boat carrying 3 doctors arrived at the critical moment
Accidents often happen without warning, caused by natural forces or human error. German scuba diver Brian Pethke and his friend Mika were fully immersed in exploring the famous shark-diving site of Tiputa Pass in French Polynesia on April 5, 2026, during the second of the two dives they had booked. However, the moment quickly turned tragic when an uncontrolled boat sped toward them, which they soon realized was their own dive boat. The incident led to a severe injury that ultimately resulted in the amputation of his lower right leg, as reported by Diver Net. Yet, in what can only be described as a twist of fate, he later expressed gratitude to three doctors on another boat.
The dive boat struck Pethke, turning the water “blood red” as he lost his leg in the accident, while his dive instructor was also injured. Soon, a second boat arrived at the scene in what Pethke described as nothing short of a miracle. Despite the danger posed by the still-uncontrolled boat, the occupants of the second vessel, including three doctors, helped Pethke and the other injured people aboard and managed to stop the severe bleeding while rushing toward the nearest medical center. “I thought I wouldn’t survive,” the 24-year-old diver said, recalling how the passengers on the second boat pulled him aboard as he cried out in pain.
According to PEOPLE, another diver, identified as Gianna F., revealed that she had joined Pethke on the trip after the two became friends at a diving center. The situation turned chaotic after the captain was thrown overboard, causing the boat to circle uncontrollably and speed back toward the divers every eight seconds. Gianna said she barely escaped being hit herself and thought she would die before someone finally pulled her to safety aboard another boat.
Later, when they reached the medical facility, they found only nurses on duty because it was Easter Sunday. As a result, the doctors themselves accessed blood and plasma supplies and performed life-saving transfusions on Pethke. The German diver likely would not have survived if not for the French couple and another individual, all doctors, who stepped in, rushed him to the medical center, and carried out the critical procedures needed to manage the severe bleeding.
Local maritime authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, focusing on the "sea conditions, vessel handling, and safety procedures" followed during diver-retrieval operations. The dive boat captain later revealed that he had been thrown overboard by a strong wave, causing the vessel to surge forward uncontrollably without anyone on board. Other divers described the uncontrolled boat as circling repeatedly through the water.
“At first, we didn’t realize that the captain had gone overboard. Seconds later, the thing that changed everything happened – the boat hit me,” said Pethke. It took three weeks for the 24-year-old diver to stabilize before he was flown on a 30-hour journey to a hospital in Berlin, accompanied by two medical professionals. He now faces further surgery and a quarantine period due to a wound infection. A GoFundMe page has been launched to help Pethke cover his medical expenses.
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