The trio and their instructor ran into trouble on Wednesday after coming to the surface from a dive near a southern island, but could not find their boat. The Briton, 46-year-old Adrian Peter Chesters and 18-year-old Frenchwoman Alexandra Alexandra Molina, were discovered by fishermen and arrested by the maritime police, said local police chief Cyril Edward Nying. “We have rescued two divers who were reported missing while scuba diving,” he told a news conference in the coastal town of Mersing, the base for search operations. “They have survived and are now in the hospital in stable condition.” They were found off the southern state of Johor after drifting a considerable distance from their dive point and taken to Pasir Gudang city hospital. Chesters’ son, 14-year-old Nathen, a Dutch national, went missing and search-and-rescue operations continued. The trainer, 35-year-old Norwegian Kristine Grodem, was rescued on Thursday and was admitted to hospital in stable condition. The search and rescue operation involved helicopters, planes, boats, divers and jet skiers looking over a large area. Nuing said officials would now focus their efforts further south, into neighboring Singapore and Indonesia. Authorities did not immediately provide details on how the three survived a long period of drowning at sea. Earlier, officials had expressed hope that the divers would be found alive, as they had significant experience and were well equipped, including the diving buoy. They also said light rains in recent days could help divers survive by providing drinking water. On Thursday, the mother of France, Esther Molina, told the French Agency from Mersing that the family “hopes for the best. “She is a strong girl, she will be beaten.” Grodem instructed divers near a small island, Tokong Sanggol, about 15 miles (nine miles) off the southeast coast of Malaysia. After a dive that lasted about 40 minutes, they came to the surface but could not find their boat. They drifted together in strong currents but ended up separating. The captain of the boat that took them to the dive site was arrested after he tested positive for drugs. Resort and boat operators in the area were asked to stop scuba diving and snorkeling activities to facilitate conditions for search and rescue teams. The area where the accident happened is popular with foreign and domestic visitors. The resorts are scattered on the coast and on the islands.
