A freediver who vanished from Titahi Bay almost two years ago likely drowned after a mishap while diving alone, a coroner has ruled.
Jinting Guo, 35, was last seen on the morning of 19 October 2023 after taking his son to school. When he failed to collect the child later that day, his wife became concerned. His vehicle was later found at Terrace Road, a popular local diving spot, with dive gear missing and a towel in the back seat.
Guo’s body was never recovered, but a tibia bone found by divers at Rocky Bay on 1 April 2025 was later confirmed by DNA testing to belong to him. The coroner, Rachael Schmidt-McCleave, said the bone showed no signs of trauma, and the likely cause of death was accidental drowning while freediving alone.
“I find that Jinting Guo died between 19 and 23 October 2023 in the sea off Rocky Bay, Titahi Bay, Porirua,” Schmidt-McCleave said in her report. “The cause of his death was most likely due to drowning in accidental circumstances.”
Guo’s wife initially believed he was working or studying and delayed reporting him missing until 22 October, after seeking advice from the Chinese Embassy. Police said the delay was partly due to her limited English.
Dive shop owner Paula Drane told police she saw Guo the day before his disappearance, when he came to collect diving gear. She said Guo mentioned plans to dive soon and claimed he would not dive alone, although he later missed a scheduled dive session.
A survivability report submitted to the coroner found Guo could not have survived more than 30 hours in the 13–15°C water. By the time he was reported missing, it was likely he had been in the sea for at least 96 hours. Multiple searches yielded no further trace of him, and the search was suspended on 5 January 2024.
Although no specific recommendations were made, Schmidt-McCleave reminded the public of Water Safety New Zealand’s advice to never dive alone, always use the buddy system, and employ a one-up, one-down approach to ensure safety.