A diver from a self-propelled crane barge entered the water in order to replace a line marking the position of the wreck. As the diver descended to a depth of about 20 metres, the umbilical cord containing his air supply became entangled in the barge's aft Voith Scneider (VS) propeller, and the diver was dragged towards its rotating blades. The diver's air supply was also pulled from the deck but the diver succeeded in transferring to a bottled air supply.