Dubai: It’s all so deceptively welcoming, this crescent beach of white sand punctuated with swaying palm trees and families splashing about in the shallows under a high noon sun.

But belying the cresting wave tops dancing in a full breeze lurks a killer that snuffed out the life of a holidaying Indian woman taking her very first scuba-diving lesson last Thursday.

There, in only three metres of shimmering water just off the open beach behind Sunset Mall in Jumeirah 3, something went horribly wrong in cloudy waters as Aarushi Singh, 24 — a chartered accounting student from India — drew some of her last breaths from a scuba respirator and dropped out of sight.

Relatives said that after unknown complications, she was later found by her instructor who had apparently plumbed the seabed looking for his missing charge.

When she was brought to shore she succumbed, leaving her family devastated as they prepared on Tuesday morning to repatriate her body home.

Dubai Police have ruled the death accidental.

Singh’s demise is the second death of an individual this year in Dubai during a beginner’s scuba diving lesson. The first casualty in mid-February off JBR beach claimed a 29-year-old Romanian man who died under similar circumstances when all of the dive beginners in the learning group surfaced, except the victim.

According to the Singh family, when three other students surfaced last Thursday, their daughter could not be immediately located.

In the sorrowful moments following the loss of their daughter, a family member asked why was the diving exercise allowed in a spot where the water was so “murky and the visibility so poor”.

“How can an institute send one instructor with four amateurs? Despite the water being just three to four metres deep, this incident happened because it might have taken a while to locate a drowning person with such poor visibility,” he said.

The family said they had signed up Aarushi for her scuba diving course through an online deals website and, when they arrived at the beach, were greeted by a G One Diving Centre instructor who delivered the lesson.

Attempts by Gulf News to reach G One Diving Centre officials located at Fishing Harbour Jumeirah in Dubai went unanswered on two company telephone lines as of press time on Tuesday.

As advertised on a coupon deals website, G One Diving stated that it is fully certified under the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) which has 136,000 professional trainers around the world.

The G One Diving Centre claims that it offers a “PADI Basic Scuba Diver Course” package starting at Dh899.

Expert diving instructors say the serenity of postcard beachfront scenes coupled with a lack of basic due diligence by diving neophytes seeking their first lessons can lull even the most discerning consumers into death traps beneath the waves.

Diving instructors across Dubai say the two fatal incidents this year alone in Dubai serve as a potent reminder that anyone considering beginners’ scuba diving lessons should take great care choosing their diving centres and should research their background and safety record thoroughly.

Mohammad Helmy, course director and training manager of longstanding Al Boom Diving in Dubai, said no one should ever enter the water directly without taking basic introduction sessions on shore with their instructors which are then reviewed to ensure safety is paramount.

“You need to look for a trustworthy diving centre with a good safety record,” Helmy told Gulf News, adding one of the best ways to find a safe centre is through word of mouth.

“People talk about those with a good reputation in the market and people trust them because of that,” he said. “It’s all about safety.”

Dubai diving instructor Ali Elwany said before he even goes into the water with student charges, he makes sure they “check to see if they have any medical conditions or health problems”.

Once cleared, Elwany provides a beginners guide booklet and two DVDs and students are required to read all five chapters in the underwater manual which he then reviews in a classroom setting.

“Before we hit the water, we make sure they do their homework. Once in the water, first we do exercise in shallow water before we take them out farther,” Elwany said. “They have to be accompanied by a diving instructor at all times.”