He's identified only from his TEETH
HIS family had no clue of the drama out at sea when the Singaporean diver went missing at around noon off Pulau Hantu, a 15-minute boat ride from Sentosa.
They kept expecting him to return for their Chinese New Year eve reunion dinner, until they heard from the police on Saturday evening.
So they didn't know of the frenzied search for Mr Sue Qing Wen by the diving group, after a certification exercise for the learner diver in the open sea went wrong.
Police had earlier told The New Paper that they were informed about the accident at about 1.30pm and a search was conducted by Police Coast Guard boats shortly afterwards.
However, the family thought that Mr Sue was on his way home. His father, who declined to be named in full, said that when he called the dive shop at 7pm, he was told that the divers had all gone home.
But Mr Francis Yeo, the owner of the dive company which runs the diving certification course, told The New Paper that was not the case.
He said he and his staff were doing all they could to find Mr Sue.
He said: 'We were searching for the body until past 6pm. We only got back to Keppel Marina at 7.30pm. I don't know how the family got the impression that we had all gone home.'.
He was on the boat together with the course instructor, who has been working for him for two years.
'I called the family at 6.45am on Sunday and offered to take them to the dive site. They were agitated and kept asking questions like who gave permission for him to learn diving.
'He was old enough and didn't need parental consent. We know the family is having a hard time. We did our best to assist,' said Mr Yeo, who has been an instructor trainer for 11 years.
He added that the open-water dive was not done in Malaysia, where water visibility is higher, because it is monsoon season there.
The course instructor could not be reached as he is in the Philippines on another dive trip, said Mr Yeo.
Mr Yeo said: 'I feel terrible over what happened but there's no way to make up for it. A life has been taken away.'
PASSIONATE PURSUITS
Mr Sue would not have made it to the dive spot if his mother had her way.
His younger sister, Mei Ting, 16, said: 'Whatever interested him, he would go and learn. Guitar, badminton, driving. He passed his driving test on his first attempt.
'As for diving, my mother asked him not to dive last Saturday because we would have reunion dinner that night, but he insisted on going because he wanted to complete what he started.'
Mr Sue's father recalled how determined he was to complete his diving course.
'He was eager to dive and set his alarm at 5.30am. He left at 6.30am after saying he would be back by 1 or 2pm,' said his father.
The family expected him to return in the afternoon but by dinner time at 7pm, there was still no sign of him.
'We were worried sick. When the police came at 9pm and broke the news that he was missing at sea, my wife cried and cried.
'We didn't sleep at all that night,' Mr Sue's father said.
After waiting for days, it was only yesterday morning that the family got the news that Mr Sue's body was found on a coral reef off Pulau Hantu.
At around 9.40am yesterday, the police received a call about a body, in a dive suit and with an oxygen tank, found near Pulau Hantu.
Mei Ting, who has a younger brother aged 10, said all their hopes vanished when the police told them the news.
His body was so badly decomposed that his father could only recognise his elder son through a dental imprint.
The 51-year-old said: 'When my son was young, he fell and broke his teeth. When I saw that, I broke down and cried.'
Mr Sue, who would have turned 21 next month, was on his first open-water dive trip.
Although the family was calm by the time The New Paper team visited them at their Choa Chu Kang flat last night, their distress was obvious from the many questions they had:
Was there insurance coverage for the dive?
Did their son get a medical check-up before paying $290 for the course?
Should the authorities review whether Pulau Hantu is safe enough for people to learn diving there?
Mr Sue's ambition was to be a pilot.
His father, who owns a car workshop, said his eldest son worked for him after finishing national service last October.
He had to wait until he turned 26 to be a commercial pilot.
The age restriction is imposed on Singaporeans 'to ensure the Air Force has its ready pool of applicants amongst our limited talent pool,' according to the website of the Air Line Pilots Association - Singapore.
CHILDHOOD DREAM
'He wanted to fly. It was his childhood dream,' said Mr Sue's father.
His sister told the media that he was disappointed when he had not made the cut because of his poor academic record. He took up diving to explore it as a career option.
He lived simply, but passionately, his family said.
He would have been happy with a packet of instant noodles for his 21st birthday meal, said his uncle, Mr K K Lau, 39, who was close to him.
Source 
Body of missing diver found in waters off Pulau Hantu 
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