This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/wales/6452849.stm

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Missing diver body is recovered Tributes after diver quarry death
(about 7 hours later)
Police searching for a woman who disappeared diving in a disused Gwynedd quarry have found a body. Tributes have been paid to an experienced woman diver whose body was recovered from a disused Gwynedd quarry early on Thursday.
Police divers had been searching for the missing woman at Dorothea Quarry near Caernarfon since Sunday. Paula Blakemore, who was 43 and from Congleton in Cheshire, failed to surface at Dorothea Quarry on Sunday.
The mother-of-three, in her 40s and from Cheshire, was diving with a friend when it is believed she was entangled in ropes and failed to surface. The mother-of-three, a diving instructor, got into difficulties underwater while with a companion.
North Wales Police confirmed the body of a woman was recovered early on Thursday, ending the five-day search. A colleague described Mrs Blakemore as an "inspiring and dedicated instructor in and out of the water".
A spokeswoman said: "Shortly before 1am this morning the joint underwater search team recovered the body of a women from the Dorothea Quarry in the Nantlle Valley. Jeff Kemp, from New Frontier Diving, said the instructor had "developed a passion for teaching in addition to furthering her own interest in deep wreck diving."
"No further details are available." Mr Kemp said he had first met Mrs Blakemore whom he called "a natural diving instructor" two years ago when she asked for training.
Twenty-one other people have died at the quarry, which is up to 300ft (91m) deep in places, since 1994. Diving buddy
The woman diver, from the Congleton area, got into difficulties on Sunday afternoon and police arrived at the scene at about 1530 GMT. He said: "From the moment I met Paula, her enthusiasm for diving wore me out.
Decompression unit "Paula was dedicated to mastering technical diving from the start."
The man who was with her at the time of the incident was taken to a decompression unit on the Wirral, where he was treated for shock and the bends. Mr Kemp said when she had completed her "rebreather course," she would dive every weekend of the year.
He was discharged from the unit on Sunday evening. "In fact, I don't think she had a single weekend off from diving in all that time," he added.
A spokesperson for North Wales Police said: "A woman, diving with a male companion, got into difficulties when she became entangled in ropes in the water. Mr Kemp, who said he was "very sad at losing her as a good friend and diving buddy," said Mrs Blakemore had worked as an instructor in Mallorca and had taught many divers.
"The male diver stayed with her, trying to free her until he was forced to swim to the surface." Police divers carried out a number of searches at Dorothea Quarry
The 45-year-old man was treated at the scene by paramedics before being airlifted to a decompression unit on the Wirral. North Wales Police confirmed the diver's body was recovered at 0100 GMT on Thursday, ending the five-day search.
A spokeswoman said: "Shortly before 1am this morning the joint underwater search team recovered the body of a women from the Dorothea Quarry in the Nantlle Valley."
Since 1994, 21 other people have died at the quarry, which is up to 300ft (91m) deep in places.
A 45-year-old man who was with Mrs Blakemore when she got into difficulties and became entangled in ropes had tried to free her until he was forced to swim to the surface, North Wales Police confirmed.
He was taken to a decompression unit on the Wirral, where he was treated for shock and the bends and later discharged.