'Enthusiastic’ teacher drowned while scuba diving at Lulworth Cove in Dorset

A school teacher drowned while scuba diving at Dorset’s famous Lulworth Cove, an inquest found.

Carvalho Ildelindo da Silveira, known as Carvalho, was an experienced diver who entered the water in unsafe conditions, a coroner concluded on Wednesday (21 December).

The 59-year-old school teacher from Hampshire had lived and worked at Brockwood Park School in Hampshire for more than 20 years. He died after going missing while diving with a friend in Lulworth Cove, Dorset, on 7 August last year.

Diving with friend Julien Mardelet, Mr da Silveira  entered the water in choppy conditions but drifted far from the shore alone. When he did not resurface hours later, Julien Mardelet started to worry.

When Mr da Silveira's body was found by police three days later, his mask was said to be “half on” and his snorkel was missing. He still had his fins on his feet.

Mr Mardelet told the inquest that Mr da Silveira was an experienced diver who had previously dived to depths of 45 metres.

He said: “Carvalho wanted to go out of the cove into the sea as it would be clearer and deeper. I said I had no intention of going out to open sea, it was my first dive of the year so I intended to stay quite close to the shore.”

Mr Mardelet said the last time he saw Mr da Silveira he had indicated he did not want to go further out by “waving his hand and pointing back towards the beach”.

He added: “We were both using snorkels rather than breathing apparatus. I took the snorkel out and said I was not going out further. He acknowledged what I said, but sort of shrugged his shoulders and turned and carried out into the cove. I did not see him after that.”

Assistant coroner Richard Middleton ruled the death was a misadventure and recorded the cause of death as drowning.

One of Mr da Silveira's colleagues, Raymond Cheung, had gone to Dorset for the diving trip alongside former colleague and friend Julien Mardelet.

He told the inquest: “Carvalho knew conditions wouldn’t be suitable in the morning so there was no rush. We went for brunch and then went to a place the name of which I can’t recall, in order to have the oxygen tanks refilled.

“We again looked at the weather and spoke to the staff there and decided it was not possible to dive at Portland as it was too choppy. The plan was to go to Chesil Beach. This was too choppy and then there was a discussion about trying the other side.

“We then decided to go to Lulworth Cove and see what conditions were there.”

He told the inquest Mr da Silveira said the tanks had enough oxygen for them to dive for up to three hours, if they did not go too deep.

The conditions at Lulworth were said to be better than the other locations and so Mr da Silveira and Mr Mardelet decided to dive.

Mr Cheung said when they got to Lulworth, his friend was a “little agitated” as plans had changed but added: “But once kitted up they seemed in good spirits. They entered the water together and checked each other's equipment.

“Carvalho was a bit more intrepid. Julien resurfaced around half an hour later at 5pm and came out of the water - he had separated from Carvalho. For him, the dive was over, but he expected Carvalho to be diving for longer. There hadn’t been a time scale discussed, but by quarter to seven, I was beginning to wonder where he was.

“I was thinking he must be getting hungry as I was and he hadn’t eaten since brunch. The conditions weren’t great so I thought he would have had enough by then.”

By 8pm, he had called 999 to inform the Coastguard that Mr da Silveira was missing.

Bournemouth Coroner’s Court heard the area is generally considered to be safe and although the cove is sheltered, on the day he went missing the water was “choppy” and the conditions meant it was not advisable to go diving.

Coroner Richard Middleton said the school he worked at had paid tribute to the much-loved teacher, who was an “integral part of the community” and has had a connection with the school since 1987.

Brockwood Park School remembered him as "an affectionate, enthusiastic and generous individual".

Mr Middleton concluded: “I appreciate that diving is a popular pastime. There are risks associated with it and one can take all sorts of steps to mitigate risks so that diving is a safe pastime. On 7 August, 2021, it appears Carvalho was aware of the prevailing weather conditions certainly present in the open water. He had chosen not to take every step one could take to ensure the safest dive possible.

“I’m satisfied that Carvalho was an experienced diver who chose to commence his dive on 7 August in the knowledge of all those risks that were present and certainly those he was aware of at the time.

“When someone pursues a course of conduct with known risk and the individual knows that risk and pursues it voluntarily."