The Banora Point man, 50, had been taking part in underwater tradesman training when he got into difficulty about 8pm.

He was pulled from the water unconscious and taken to Albury hospital. Life support was switched off about 5pm on Thursday.

The man’s family had travelled to Albury to be at his hospital bedside.

The Professional Divers Training Academy business, which has operated in Albury since 2010 and for more than 30 years in other locations, was conducting the dive.

Director Frank Zeigler said his thoughts were with the man’s family.

“Our hearts go out to the family at this time,” he said.

“It’s a situation where the loss of a loved one is never an easy thing to bear.

“The students and the staff here at the academy are really shocked over the loss.”

The coroner and WorkCover are investigating the incident.

The man had pulled on a safety rope to be brought to the surface, but the rope appeared to have been snagged.

“We’re committed to working with the authorities as they work through the inquiry,” Mr Zeigler said.

“We don’t know what the cause was and we’re committed to working with the authorities and experts to work though all avenues to understand what’s occurred.”

The company has two permanent staff in Albury and brings other employees to the region when required.

“This is the only incident that has happened with this school,” Mr Zeigler said.

“The business has been running for about 35 years and there’s never been an incident or accident.

“The man’s family has come to Albury and we have been in contact with them.”