A diving instructor has been caught trying to tear the mask off another diver while they were submerged 30 metres underwater.
Song Jianzhang is said to have been punched and kicked in the aquatic altercation while on a scuba diving trip on Saturday (10 October).
The guide has also been accused of removing the mask and breathing apparatus of the instructor who was accompanying Song on the excursion.
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The terrifying incident was caught on the dive camera of a member of the four-guest group. It shows another diver repeatedly lashing out and pointing his finger towards them.
The Taiwanese celebrity – a member of the Nan Quan Mama pop group – was diving off the coast of Palau, an archipelago of islands in the western Pacific Ocean, when the group was set upon.
According to local reports, the aggressive instructor was a South Korean national.
The Palau New World Dive Centre, where the assaulted diver works, has filed reports with the Palau Police Department and Coast Guard, and an investigation is underway.
Those directly involved in the altercation are said to have been suspended pending further enquiries.
In a statement, the Palau New World Diving Centre said: “The first time, the South Korean dive guide approached one of our guests, [he] punched and kicked him, and attempted to remove his mask.
“The guest lost his dive computer in the process of resisting.
“The second time, the South Korean dive guide pulled on our dive guide’s mask, tore off the mask strap, and then returned it.
“The third time, the South Korean dive guide pulled off our dive guide’s mask, tore off his right fin, and removed the regulator. Our dive guide swallowed water multiple times before retrieving his regulator and, with the guest’s assistance, returned to the cape.”
A diving instructor from the same company told local media that no one had actively approached the other group, and that no one had retaliated to the dangerous behaviour.
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