A British scuba diver has said he could hardly believe his eyes last month when he received an extradition order for the involuntary homicide of his girlfriend and another diver during a holiday in Malta last year.

“I wouldn’t wish anyone harm during a dive. But we’re talking about my dear friend and partner. I definitely would have gone out of my way to keep her from harm’s way,” Stephen Martin, of Rustington, West Sussex, told the Times of Malta.

He is facing extradition to Malta on charges of alleged negligence, which the Maltese authorities believe led to the deaths of two divers, Larissa Hooley, 48, and Nigel Haines, 59, during a diving holiday in Gozo last summer. The extradition was approved by a Westminster judge last month, but Mr Martin is insisting he is innocent and has since lodged an appeal with the UK High Court.

Despite this, Mr Martin said he could be brought to the island next week, where he fears he will remain in custody for the duration of his hearing. “I could even be sentenced for up to 10 years, all for trying to save a fellow diver and my partner from something out of my hands,” he said.

Mr Martin said a British coroner had concluded that both Mr Haines and Ms Hooley had died as a result of “diving accidents” near the inland sea in Gozo. He said his partner of five years had died from an immersion pulmonary edema, characterised by shortness of breath, chest pains and low oxygen levels in the blood – a similar condition is common among mountain climbers.

Left: Stephen Martin, who is accused of negligence in her death and the death of Nigel Haines, 59 (right).

Mr Martin recounted how he had been paired up with Ms Hooley during the dive but had not initially seen her to be in trouble, as she had momentarily drifted out of his peripheral vision. He claimed that she had started to descend but he had thought she had dropped something and was trying to retrieve it.

I couldn’t wish anyone harm on a dive. But we’re talking about my dear friend and partner. I would have gone out of my way to keep her from harm

It was only when he and Mr Haines noticed her breathing had turned erratic that they turned to retrieve her. By this point she had already turned limp and was foaming at the mouth, he said. Her body was taken ashore, where a nearby doctor gave her first aid, but it was “too late”, Mr Martin said. The situation turned from catostrophic to worse when, Mr Martin said, he noticed that Mr Haines had gone missing in the commotion. His body was later seen floating out at sea.

The coroner concluded that Mr Haines had died during the failed rescue attempt due to an accelerated ascent.

Mr Martin, a diver with over 15 years’ experience, is charged with failing to keep a close watch on Ms Hooley and for approving a dive in poor conditions. He categorically rejects the charges as unfounded.