EXCLUSIVE
Last Thursday, Kay Phillips and her husband Linden beamed as they boarded their flight from Melbourne to Bali alongside members of their local diving club.
The Indonesia trip was the latest overseas diving expedition the Mildura Deserts Divers Club from north-west Victoria had undertaken in seven years.
But tragedy struck when the group of about a dozen embarked on their first dive on Saturday at Manta Point, a popular diving spot near the island off Nusa Penida.
During the dive, Phillips, 67, became short of breath and collapsed as he tried to climb back into the boat. He never regained consciousness.
Now her heartbroken husband faces the difficult task of bringing his wife’s body back home.
Photographs posted online show Mr Phillips looking ashen-faced as he ventured out to dinner with fellow divers on Sunday night in Nusa Penida, just hours after losing his wife.
Daily Mail Australia understands arrangements are still being made to transport Ms Phillips back to Australia where a post-mortem will be carried out.
Mr and Mrs Phillips were experienced divers who had been part of their local diving club for over a decade.
Kay Phillips (pictured) tragically died in Bali on Saturday
The couple are pictured on their flight from Melbourne to Bali on Thursday.
During that time, the group has travelled extensively to explore different waters, from Queensland and South Australia to the Philippines and Papua New Guinea.
In a Facebook post last year, group members fondly joked that the Phillips were always running late, and some divers posted a photo with the caption: “Waiting for Kay and Linden.”
Ms. Phillips replied: “We are always the last in and the last out.”
On Saturday, Ms Phillips and her husband are believed to have checked into Two Fish Divers 90 minutes before the tragedy occurred, police told local media.
The couple had registered for the trip before boarding a boat with 11 other tourists to travel to the picturesque location.
Ms. Phillips and others received a briefing about the dive and had their equipment checked by tour guides on the way to the dive site.
Upon arrival their equipment was checked again and they were given the green light to enter the water.
But just eight minutes later, Ms Phillips resurfaced after having begun experiencing difficulty breathing, telling a dive guide she was finding it “difficult to breathe”.
Ms Phillips collapsed and lost consciousness as she was being helped back onto the boat.
The crew administered CPR before transporting her to the nearby Nusa Medica Clinic, but were unable to revive her.
Mr. Phillips is shown dining with other club members on Sunday night.
The couple were experienced divers who had been with their local diving club for more than a decade.
Klungkung police spokesman Agus Widiono said her body was sent to Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar for further examination.
“The victim’s body was sent directly to Sanglah. The information is that the family will conduct an autopsy on the victim in his home country,” Widiono said.
The couple were known to be staying at the Pandawa Hotel in Nusa Penida.
Ms Phillips was due to celebrate her 68th birthday in November.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson confirmed the department was “providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Bali”.
“We send our deepest condolences to their families and friends at this difficult time,” he said.
‘Due to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.’
Manta Point is one of the southernmost dive sites in Bali and is surrounded by high cliffs.
This popular tourist destination, famous for its manta ray sightings, is only recommended for experienced divers.
The water is about 15 metres deep and the currents and sea conditions can be very rough.
Underwater visibility is also low and the water temperature is colder than elsewhere.
Ms Phillips and her husband were among 11 other people who took part in the diving trip at Manta Point, a popular diving spot near Nusa Penida, Indonesia, on Saturday morning (file image)
Ms Phillips collapsed just minutes after surfacing from the water and is believed to have experienced difficulty breathing (pictured: rescuers and lifeguards at the scene)
Ms Phillip’s death came just a day after another Australian man died in Bali following a horrific motorbike accident.
Australian couple Thomas Cossins, 30, and Jasmine Sparreboom were on holiday on the island to attend a friend’s wedding when they went for a stroll on Friday morning.
The couple had left Seminyak at around 6.30am to travel to Canggu, where they met up with another cyclist, before heading into the mountains near Gitgit.
According to a friend, Cossins, an experienced motorcyclist, was in full gear and was taking a turn on his Kawasaki Ninja when he lost control and crashed into a concrete pillar. He could not be revived and died at the scene.
Indonesia is the top overseas holiday destination for Australians after the country overtook New Zealand as the preferred location for short-term trips.
Some 1.37 million Australians have visited Indonesia in 2023, compared with 1.26 million people visiting New Zealand, according to ABS figures.
