yesterday their instructor had failed to train them in handling an emergency.

Mr. Peter Frymann broke down as he recalled how Marine Police told him his wife had shouted for help before drowning.

It was only then he became aware that they had not been given emergency training, he claimed.

Mr. Frymann said their instructor from Paget-based Fantasea Diving School had not told them how to: Jettison a weight belt.

Inflate a life belt.

Surface safely.

Mr. Frymann, of Beckenham, Kent, England, was reading from a statement he made to Police following the tragedy in Bermuda's waters.

Yesterday was the first day of the inquest into the death of Mrs. Eileen Mary Frymann.

Mrs. Frymann died on April 22 last year after she and her husband, and their daughter, Abigail, went scuba diving around the wreck of The Constellation off Somerset.

They were first-time divers and were on an outing for beginners.

Mrs. Frymann was found in 20-feet of water, and later pronounced dead at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

The inquest was told of repeated efforts to revive her by crewmen, Marine Police, and ambulance personnel.

Dr. John Winwick, consultant pathologist at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, said he carried out an autopsy report on Mrs. Frymann.

This revealed her lungs were "waterlogged heavily'', and her nose and ankle slightly cut.

Dr. Winwick said he concluded "death was not due to natural causes, and was consistent with sea water drowning''.

Questioned by Mr. Justin Williams, the grieving family's lawyer, Dr. Winwick admitted it was possible to survive up to 30 minutes submerged in cold salt water.

But he thought there would be a 99.9 percent chance of death in about 10 minutes in Bermuda's waters.

Asked whether he thought it would be beneficial to give oxygen from a resuscitator in a near drowning, Dr. Winwick said: "Yes''.

Mr. Frymann, reading a statement he gave to the Police, said the family had chosen Fantasea Diving because they had been impressed by the crew during a whale-watching outing.

He and his wife and Abigail went to Darrell's Wharf at around 2 p.m. on April 22, and met their scuba diving crewmen, Mr. Patrick Christy and Mr. Michael Heslop.

They went out on the boat, Fantasea , and dropped anchor at Mangrove Bay for instruction, said Mr. Frymann.

Instruction included the importance of correct breathing, using a mask, signalling, equalising the pressure in the inner ear when descending, and clearing the regulator.

The group, including an American couple, then went diving around The Constellation , with instructor Mr. Christy.

Mr. Frymann said he realised something had happened when Mr. Christy told him to surface.

Mr. Christy told the group not to panic, but he was unable to find Mrs.

Frymann.

She was then spotted by her daughter lying on the sea-bed on her back.

Mr. Christy pulled her on to the boat, and tried to resuscitate her, said Mr.

Frymann.

"I did not recall too much what went on. I was in a state of shock. I could see she was blue in the face, and I just knew she was dead.'' Mr. Frymann said two days after the tragedy he was visited by two Marine Police officers.

They told him his wife had shouted for help before being pulled from the water. It was the first time he had known this.

Mr. Frymann added: "I reviewed in my own mind what instruction had been given about handling emergencies.'' He realised he had been given no instruction in jettisoning a weight belt, inflating a life belt, or surfacing safely.

Under questioning from Mr. Williams, Mr. Frymann said he had not been taught how to raise the alarm on the surface, given any signalling device, shown or told to fill in a medical form, nor asked about his health.

Miss Abigail Frymann, a student, also claimed she had not received any instruction in handling an emergency.

The hearing before the Wor. John Judge resumes tomorrow morning.