{"id":86848,"date":"2026-09-22T05:51:21","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T21:51:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=86848"},"modified":"2026-09-22T05:51:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T21:51:21","slug":"singaporean-diver-missing-in-palau","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=86848","title":{"rendered":"Singaporean diver missing in Palau"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Members of the diving community and family members have come forward in remembrance of a well-loved diving instructor who went missing during an expedition in Palau on Sept 7.<\/p>\n

Palauan news outlet Island Times<\/a> reported that the five-day search for two divers \u2014 Singaporean Robert Tan Soon Liang, 62, and Chinese national Xiaoxi Wu, 43 \u2014 was called off on Sept 11.<\/p>\n

The pair, who were reportedly experienced divers<\/a>, began a dive at Peleliu Wall at about 7.45am local time on Sept 7. According to Island Times, the site is considered an \u201cadvanced, difficult, and unpredictable\u201d location because of its currents.<\/p>\n

\u2018Held immense reverence for the ocean\u2019<\/h2>\n

Instagram account @360watersports.smb, which represents global scuba diving training agency Scuba Schools International (SSI), shared a statement from Tan\u2019s family<\/a> on Sept 17.<\/p>\n

The post explained that Tan, who held an SSI Instructor Certifier qualification and had logged more than 5,100 dives, was on a liveaboard expedition when the incident happened.<\/p>\n

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Towards the end of the dive, the guide noticed that Tan and his dive partner were descending rapidly, but was unable to reach them.<\/p>\n

The family has since accepted that Tan could not have survived, given the extreme depth they were at and their finite air supply.<\/p>\n

They added that they decided not to undertake a deep-water recovery expedition, but instead chose to let him \u201crest peacefully in the ocean he loved\u201d. The family added that Tan had a deep connection to nature:<\/p>\n

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He held immense reverence for the ocean and had always expressed that, when his time came, he wished to return to the sea.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Although the family expressed regret that Tan could not return home to them, they took heart that he \u201cwould not have suffered in the end\u201d.<\/p>\n

They believed that, at that depth, Tan would have experienced nitrogen narcosis \u2014 a condition where high pressure levels cause numbing, intoxicating sensations \u2014 and lost consciousness.<\/p>\n

The family also urged the public to refrain from speculations or spreading unverified details.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kindest way to support us now is to remember Dad for the life he lived and to respect our family\u2019s decision to let him rest peacefully in the ocean,\u201d the statement concluded.<\/p>\n

\u2018I would never be worried that he was leading me somewhere dangerous\u2019: Diver<\/h2>\n

Several netizens shared personal experiences with Tan on social media, expressing sadness over the news.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a great diver and a funny guy to boot,\u201d one Redditor said on the scuba subreddit<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s absolutely unbelievable to us that he\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another commented: \u201cI personally knew him as well, and we\u2019d always talked about going diving together. Sadly, that day will never come now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking to Stomp, 36-year-old Gabriel, who works in the technology industry, said he first met Tan in 2020 when he was inquiring about diving in Singapore for the first time.<\/p>\n

He described the diving instructor as an \u201coutgoing\u201d person who peppered his speech with lingo, acronyms, and tongue-in-cheek terms.<\/p>\n

Gabriel recalled following Tan on a dive at Pulau Hantu \u2014 located South of mainland Singapore \u2014 where the latter had marked out certain species of nudibranchs and visited them weekly to check on their growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very memorable because if it were not for him I would not have been able to see stuff that was micro, almost microscopic, almost too small to be caught by the naked eye.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pair last interacted in 2024, with Gabriel recalling that Tan would always greet the regular divers.<\/p>\n

When he heard of the incident, he said his first reaction was shock, as Tan was \u201crenowned for his safety\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was the kind of presence in the water that, if I was being led and guided by him, I would never be concerned about my safety. I would never be worried that he was leading me into somewhere dangerous,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u2018He would just help\u2019: Diver remembers instructor\u2019s friendly presence<\/h2>\n

Another diver, 32-year-old Toh Xing Jie, told Stomp he knew Tan through diving together at Pulau Hantu. Tan would always be the one finding things Toh had misplaced, he recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt became almost a running joke that Robert would somehow be around whenever I lost something,\u201d Toh added.<\/p>\n

On top of Tan\u2019s humorous and friendly nature, Toh said he was also an \u201cincredibly generous person\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat stood out to me most was how willing he was to give his time and experience to other people,\u201d he recalled. Toh also remembered Tan as a veteran who was always willing to help others:<\/p>\n

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He had been diving for a long time and knew so much, but I never felt like he needed to prove that to anyone. He would just help.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Over the years, he became someone who played a \u201cvery meaningful part\u201d in Toh\u2019s journey as a professional underwater photographer.<\/p>\n

Tan had guided and assisted him underwater for various work projects, seeing him through significant milestones.<\/p>\n

On Tan\u2019s birthday, Aug 14, Toh had sent him well-wishes over WhatsApp. The pair chatted briefly, with Tan asking what was going on in his life.<\/p>\n

That would be the last time they spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking back now, I think that is what makes it especially difficult. It was such a normal, everyday exchange, and I obviously had no idea it would end up being one of our last conversations,\u201d Toh reflected.<\/p>\n

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