Indonesian authorities are holding a Chinese freediving instructor trainer in Sorong while police investigate the spearing of a critically endangered hawksbill turtle inside Raja Ampat’s marine conservation area.
Freediving agency AIDA International suspended the instructor trainer on 16 September, pending a formal investigation. Scuba and Freediving agency SSI has opened a Quality Management System case.
The man named by Indonesian officials denies he is the diver in the video. He says he is the victim of mistaken identity and an online harassment campaign and no charges have been filed.
What The Footage Shows
The case centres on a 36-second Instagram video clip. It shows a diver on scuba equipment approaching a hawksbill turtle resting beside a coral reef, speargun in hand, then firing into the back of the animal’s head.
Separate images show what reporting describes as the same turtle, butchered, cooked and served as food.
Police say the diver was filmed alongside two companions and investigators believe the turtle was carried to a nearby homestay.
Papua Barat Daya police spokesperson Kompol Jenny S.A. Hengkelare said evidence under examination appears to show a speargun aimed at a turtle’s neck, killing the animal.
Warning: the footage below shows the killing of a protected animal. Some readers will find it distressing.
The Timeline
- 8-11 September 2026: Alleged incident on a reef near Keruwo Homestay, Fam (Pam) Islands, close to Piaynemo
- 11-13 September 2026: Footage appears on Chinese social media, then spreads through the global dive community
- 14 September 2026: Meos Mansar Indigenous patrol files a police complaint. Raja Ampat’s deputy regent asks immigration to block the diver’s exit
- 14 September 2026: Immigration officers detain him at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport, Makassar
- 15 September 2026: Indonesia’s Tourism Ministry condemns the killing and demands a full investigation
- 16 September 2026: Transfer to Sorong Immigration. Police confirm a criminal investigation. AIDA suspends the instructor trainer, SSI opens investigation
How Divers Stopped Him Leaving Indonesia
The footage reached Indonesian dive operators within days and instructors across the country compared notes, traced the diver’s movements and passed what they found to the authorities.
Members of the Meos Mansar Indigenous community patrol lodged a formal complaint with airport police on 14 September. Their evidence bundle included patrol reports, dive photographs, images of the cooked turtle, instructor certification documents and witness statements.
Raja Ampat deputy regent Mansyur Syahdan wrote to immigration the same day, asking officers to prevent the diver leaving the country.
Sorong Immigration tracked him through the Passenger Information System. Records showed an original route of Sorong to Makassar, then Bali, then Australia. In Makassar he switched his onward flight to Kuala Lumpur.
Officers intercepted him at the boarding gate at around 5pm local time.
The Man Named In The Case
Two names appear in the reporting so far. Chinese media and the Raja Ampat regency’s own paperwork identify the diver as Wei Shang, aged 36. Papua Barat Daya police identify their subject as “W.S. alias Wilson Shang”. Immigration officials use the initials WS throughout.
DeeperBlue has not established which name appears on his passport at of time of publishing.
The regency’s request to immigration described him as an AIDA International instructor trainer, certified on 18 August 2015, holding a card marked active for 2025. Several outlets have also linked him to SSI credentials. DeeperBlue has not verified those listings.
Although he was a freediving instructor trainer, in the footage it shows him wearing scuba diving equipment.
Reports indicate he is being held by Sorong Immigration pending his lawyer and an interpreter.
Both Agencies Have Now Opened Formal Cases
AIDA International moved first, on 16 September stating it “shares the anger and disgust its community has expressed over the killing of a sea turtle, and condemns the deliberate killing or mistreatment of protected marine life without qualification”. It continued saying “Our instructors are expected to lead by example, comply with applicable laws and act as ambassadors for the oceans.”
AIDA then drew a careful line. It has a responsibility to establish the facts fairly and consider all available information before reaching conclusions. The instructor trainer is suspended pending a formal investigation.
This suspension is a precautionary measure and does not represent a finding regarding the allegations
, the agency said. It will not discuss the evidence or the individuals involved on social media while the process runs.
SSI International followed the same day and stated it strictly “condemns the mistreatment of marine life under any circumstances.” It pointed to its Responsible Diver Code, which binds all members to comply with applicable regulations, statutes and codes, and said its instructors are expected to follow local laws and treat the underwater world with respect.
The agency has opened a Quality Management System case. SSI said it is reviewing all submitted materials to establish the facts and will take appropriate action in accordance with its standards and procedures. Like AIDA, it will not discuss details publicly while the review is open.
The Speargun Question Still Unanswered
Spearfishing is banned across Raja Ampat’s marine protected areas and every operator in the region knows it.
So how did a speargun reach a reef inside a no-take zone?
Hasan Makassar, who heads Raja Ampat’s marine conservation management unit, said his team had already warned tourism operators about guests carrying spearguns into conservation areas. His unit will now inspect homestays and operators near the site.
Indonesia’s Tourism Ministry has gone further. Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana’s office asked police to pursue everyone involved, naming those who supply equipment, transport divers, accompany them, facilitate the activity or simply let it happen.
Mohammad Rais, who runs Diver’s Camp Sultra in Southeast Sulawesi and helped coordinate the effort to stop the diver leaving, put the professional point plainly. An instructor should set an example in diving ethics
, he said.
What Raja Ampat Stands To Lose
The UNESCO biosphere reserve holds more than 75% of all known coral species and over 1,320 species of reef fish. A single dive at Cape Kri produced a world-record count of 374 fish species.
Seven marine protected areas cover close to 1.19 million hectares. Five threatened sea turtle species live in these waters, including the hawksbill.
The hawksbill sits in the worst category the IUCN Red List offers. The species was uplisted to Critically Endangered in 1996 after an observed global decline of at least 80% across three generations, driven by the tortoiseshell trade. Current estimates put the global nesting female population at roughly 20,000 to 23,000.
Indonesia protects all six sea turtle species found in its waters. The hawksbill appears on the Environment and Forestry Ministry’s 2018 protected species list.
What Happens Next
Police from Papua Barat Daya’s special criminal investigation directorate and the Raja Ampat district force are running the case together. Raja Ampat police chief AKBP Boma Wedhayanto Purnomo has ordered crime scene work at the homestay and underwater at the reef.
Forensic officers and a joint dive team are examining the site. Police have seized video and photographic evidence and are questioning witnesses and expert advisers.
Hengkelare said the force is treating the matter seriously. The case is being handled professionally in accordance with applicable law
, she said.
Any prosecution would fall under Indonesia’s revised conservation law, Law No. 32 of 2024. The revision replaced a ceiling of five years’ imprisonment and a 100 million rupiah fine with a tiered scheme reported to reach 20 years and fines to 50 billion rupiah, alongside a new power to order compensation for environmental harm. Which tier applies depends on the charge prosecutors bring.
Immigration will decide separately whether he breached the terms of his stay.
Director General of Immigration Hendarsam Marantoko framed the government’s position in blunt terms, saying foreigners will not be allowed to act as they please in Indonesia.
DeeperBlue will update this article as the investigation develops.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in Raja Ampat?
A 36-second video circulated online showing a diver on scuba equipment spearing a hawksbill turtle on a reef in the Fam (Pam) Islands, near Piaynemo, between 8 and 11 September 2026. Further images showed the animal cooked and eaten.
Has anyone been arrested?
No. Immigration officers stopped a Chinese national leaving Indonesia on 14 September and transferred him to Sorong for questioning. Police have opened an investigation. No charge has been filed.
Is spearfishing legal in Raja Ampat?
No. Spearfishing is prohibited throughout Raja Ampat's marine protected areas, and Indonesian law protects all six sea turtle species found in national waters.
Why does the hawksbill turtle matter?
The IUCN lists hawksbills as Critically Endangered. The global population fell by at least 80% across three generations, and roughly 20,000 to 23,000 nesting females remain worldwide.
What has AIDA International said?
AIDA suspended the instructor trainer on 16 September as a precautionary measure pending a formal investigation. The agency condemned the killing of protected marine life and said the suspension does not represent a finding on the allegations.
