The young woman who died during a charity dive on Sunday came to twice while being given first aid in front of tens of people who cheered her on to recover.

As more details emerged about the incident, witnesses yesterday described the dramatic moment when 24-year-old Tamara Psaila was lifted out of the water and given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

"She spat out water twice and we started shouting brava, brava but she soon lost consciousness again" one witness explained.

The witness said "it was horrible to watch such a horrific sight" and "a waste of life".

The police said an autopsy concluded that Ms Psaila had drowned.

"No words can bring her back, neither for me nor for her mother," were the only words that her 25-year-old boyfriend, Ryan Curmi, could say yesterday.

Ms Psaila was among a group of four first-time divers who were taken on a 15-minute shallow trial dive after donating €10 to Dar tal-Providenza.

Sources said the group, which included her boyfriend, was being assisted by a very experienced instructor who fainted after the girl was brought to shore. He was said to still be in shock yesterday.

There was also an experienced diver with the group, sources said.

Before being handed the equipment, the first-time divers had filled in medical forms, underwent a check-up and been given a pre-dive brief.

According to one eyewitness, when the group was immersed they suddenly became engulfed in murky water. When it cleared, the people around her realised they could not see her. The instructor then spotted her on the seabed without her oxygen regulator while her oxygen tank and jacket were also detached.

Sources said the woman was still wearing her weight belt and this may have kept her under water.

The equipment originated from different diving schools which volunteered to help in the fund-raising event. The equipment that the woman was wearing was taken away by the police for testing.

Commentators on timesofmalta.com described Ms Psaila as a "lively, altruistic and creative" person who was training to become a geography teacher.

People who were at the scene said that it was shocking and heartbreaking to see the young woman dying on the shore.

"I always admired her courage and patience and she was always there to help me and others," one of her friends said.

Several people described her as beautiful, kind and caring, with a passion for animals and a desire to help people in need.

"I am sure that if you had been given a chance, you would have chosen to die for a good cause. You and Ryan were an exemplary couple of what love is all about. You will be missed but never forgotten," one person who knew her said of her.

Meanwhile, it was established yesterday that Tania Spiteri, 26, of Cospicua, who died while on a boat off St George's Bay also on Sunday, had suffered pulmonary oedema (her lungs were filled with water), according to preliminary results.

What caused this has not yet been established but her friends told the police she suffered from a condition in her lungs. More tests are being carried out, the police said.