Authorities say a two-day air and sea search for a much-loved professional diver has been suspended in the Coral Sea off far north Queensland.
The crew of the dive boat Clearwater, belonging to aquarium supplier Cairns Marine, reported their skipper, Timothy Bennett, 65, missing at 4:30pm Monday.
Mr Bennett failed to surface following a deep-sea dive at Heralds Surprise Reef, about 150 nautical miles south-east of Cairns.
Jena O’Connor says she and her husband, Tim Bennett, loved entertaining friends and family. (Supplied: Bennett family)
Originally from Perth, Mr Bennett moved to far north Queensland in the 1990s, and lived in Kuranda with wife, Jena O’Connor.
Ms O’Connor said the family had made peace with the conclusion of the search and their decision to leave his body at sea.
“He’s in his happy place,” she said.
“But I’m shattered. I’m devastated. I don’t want to even think about going forward without him. He was my best friend. He was one of the kindest, funniest, sweetest human beings on the planet.”
Timothy Bennett had been the skipper of the Clearwater for more than 20 years. (Supplied: Cairns Marine)
Ms O’Connor said her husband was admired and respected in the scientific world.
His wife and employer confirmed several fish discoveries had been named after Mr Bennett, including Plectranthias bennetti, Tosanoides bennetti, and Bodianus bennetti.
He previously worked in the east coast crayfish industry, pearled in Broome, and was passionate about exploring fish and birds.
Ms O’Connor said that despite professional and scientific accolades, her husband considered his family as his greatest achievement.
Timothy Bennett moved to far north Queensland from Perth in the 1990s. (Supplied: Cairns Marine)
Mr Bennett’s daughter, Simone Bennett, said the family had been overwhelmed with tributes.
“Dad was just the most loving and supportive and proud dad one could ever ask for, and he’s so proud of his family and proud of his job,” she said.
“He was known and respected across the industry, not just for his skill, but because he was genuinely kind, generous with his knowledge, and a mentor to so many.”
Ms Bennett said her father’s colleagues were devastated.
“The crew undoubtedly did absolutely everything they could do, given the situation,” she said.
Cairns Marine director Lyle Squire said Mr Bennett, a colleague of 25 years, was a diver of rare skill who could dive past 150 metres.
“He’s well and truly in a class of his own,” he said.
Lyle Squire Jnr is a third-generation coral collector and owner of Cairns Marine, the biggest coral harvesting operation on the Great Barrier Reef. (ABC News: Brendan Esposito)
Mr Bennett provided fish and live corals to hobbyists, wholesalers and aquariums worldwide, and his latest mission was to seek new species from a new patch.
“Tim really is irreplaceable,” Mr Squire said.
“I’ve done my deepest dive to 160 metres with Tim. I’ve shared a lot of things with Tim, and I probably have more respect for Tim as a diver than anybody else I know.”
Mr Squire said that despite the risky nature of his work, Mr Bennett was meticulous in preparation and safety, fully servicing his gear the previous day.
“Tim understood what he was doing. He knew what the constraints were. And then because of all those things, he didn’t view his work as dangerous,” he said.
“He knows what his limitations are.”
Colleagues of Timothy Bennett were devastated to lose their skipper. (Supplied: Cairns Marine)
Mr Squire said Mr Bennett was diving the “highly unexplored” mesophotic zone between 60m and past 150m, where standard scuba gear is impractical and “rebreather” equipment is required.
Air is recycled through a carbon dioxide scrubber and helium-based oxygen is injected into the system, allowing minimal decompression time.
“Using a rebreather was a means to be able to do what he wanted to do, which was to find new species of fish unknown to science,” Mr Squire said.
And on Monday afternoon, when Mr Bennett failed to resurface, it set in motion a grim plan the pair had discussed many times.
“No-one’s coming to get you, and no-one’s ever going to know what happened,” Mr Squire said.
“There are no divers in the country presently able to go down to that depth and even look for him.”
Mr Squire said speculation was pointless.
“One thing I can say with absolute conviction is that it would not have been because of human error,” he said.
“He’s too well prepared, too professional.”
The AMSA Cairns-based Bombardier Challenger 604 search and rescue jet aircraft extensively searched for two days. (Supplied)
Mr Squire said the crew of the Clearwater dove up to 80m looking for Mr Bennett.
“Nobody will ever know what has transpired,” he said.
Queensland Police Service, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority are investigating.