The funerals of two young Irishmen who died in a diving accident in Egypt take place today and tomorrow. The bodies of Mr Martin Gara and Mr Conor O'Regan arrived at Dublin airport yesterday.
The pair died last Wednesday after getting into difficulties when diving in the Red Sea off Dahab, in the southern Sinai peninsula. They were diving with the Padi diving school, but were alone at the time of the accident.
It is believed the two men lost consciousness after descending deeper than they had intended. Their bodies were recovered from an underwater sump at a depth of 65 metres.
Rescuers arrived quickly after the pair failed to return on schedule but were unable to save them. They say the two men would have died peacefully, without pain.
Mr Gara was a trained and experienced diving instructor who had spent most of the past year in Egypt. A few months ago, he was joined by his friend, Mr O'Regan, who had previous experience of diving in the Red Sea. He was approaching the final phase of training for the diving instructor qualification.
According to a friend, they were intending to return to Ireland at Christmas, and hoped to set up a travel agency together, specialising in diving tours overseas.
"They were great characters, both of them, just oozing with charisma. None of us can believe this has happened," Mr Seamus Porter, a friend, said last night.
"Conor was so dynamic, he had so much intelligence and energy to apply to anything. He was popular. He was a great friend."
Mr O'Regan (23), from Old Conna, attended St Gerard's in Bray and had recently completed his studies in economics and philosophy at Trinity College.
According to friends, he was an accomplished fire-juggler and had travelled widely, performing throughout Europe each summer.
His funeral takes place after 12 o'clock Mass at St Fergal's church in Bray to the nearby Springfield cemetery tomorrow.
Mr Gara (22), from Dun Laoghaire, had worked full-time as a diving instructor after leaving school at Clonkeen College, Deansgrange.
His funeral takes place after 12 o'clock Mass at the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Killiney to Shanganagh cemetery today.
The deaths of the two men at such a young age has shocked neighbours and former school colleagues in Dun Laoghaire and Bray.
Many of their friends have flown home from abroad to attend the funerals. The British owners of the diving school have also travelled here.
Initially, the accident went virtually unnoticed by the media in Egypt because of the attention focused on the killing by Islamic militants of 58 tourists outside an ancient pharaonic temple in Luxor just two days earlier. No Irish died in that massacre.
Diving sources said last night the Red Sea coast of Egypt and Israel is one of the favourite destinations for Irish divers seeking overseas experience.