Dimitris "Dima" Stavrakakis, an accomplished scuba diver, lost his life today...

It is with great sorrow and grief that I received the news that Dimitris "Dima" Stavrakakis, an accomplished scuba diver from Poland, lost his life earlier today.

Dimitris was just 50 years old and it appears he succumbed to a diving accident.

May Dima rest in peace.

Condolences to his family.

It was an honour and privilege being friends Dima, we will miss you...

Dima's account of diving at the world's largest naval tragedy

Dima's account of diving at the only WW2 German aircraft carrier

UPDATE 07/07/2016

According to an official statement, Dima's passing was due to "natural causes" and not related to a "diving accident"... 

The statement reads as follows:

We regret to inform, that on 05 July 2016 during common diving trip around the Oland Island our friend Dimitris Stavrakakis passed away.

Dima died of natural causes, it wasn't a diving accident.

He was a reliable friend and an authority for us.

Condolences for his wife, children, all relatives and friends.

The Baltictech Team

Dimitris "Dima" Stavrakakis, one of the most active wreck divers in the Baltic Sea from Gdynia, Poland, as his name implies, is of Greek descent. His family history is directly linked to the history of Greece, as it unfolded during the Civil War that was fought in the country, from 1946 to 1949 and is reminiscent of the "Odyssey": 

In Dima's own words: 

"I was born in 1966, to a Greek father and mother. Both were refugees that fled at a very young age the Greek Civil War, my mother was 9 years old at the time, my father was 12. 

My mother lived in Bulgaria for a year, then in Romania for another year and she ended up in Poland, where her mother, my grandmother, found her after many years in exile. 

My parents returned back to Greece in the late 1980s and my sister is currently living in Athens too. I served my military service in Greece, I am married and live in Gdynia, Poland"

Ο Δημήτρης "Dima" Σταυρακάκης, ένας από τους πιο δραστήριους δύτες ναυαγίων στη Βαλτική Θάλασσα από τη Γδύνια της Πολωνίας, όπως φαίνεται και από το όνομά του, είναι ελληνικής καταγωγής. 

Η ιστορία της οικογένειάς του είναι άμεσα συνδεδεμένη με την ιστορία της Ελλάδας, όπως αυτή εκτυλίχθηκε κατά τη διάρκεια του Εμφυλίου Πολέμου που διεξάχθηκε στη χώρα, (1946-1949) και θυμίζει την «Οδύσσεια»: 

Ο κ. Σταυρακάκης αναφέρει: 

«Γεννήθηκα το 1966 στην Πολωνία, από πατέρα και μητέρα Έλληνες. Και οι δύο ήταν πρόσφυγες που αναγκάστηκαν να φύγουν από την πατρίδα σε πολύ νεαρή ηλικία λόγω του Εμφυλίου. 

Η μητέρα μου ήταν 9 ετών, ο πατέρας μου ήταν 12. Η μητέρα μου έζησε στη Βουλγαρία για ένα χρόνο, στη συνέχεια, στη Ρουμανία για άλλη μια χρονιά και τελικά κατέληξε στην Πολωνία, όπου η μητέρα της, η γιαγιά μου, την βρήκε μετά από πολλά χρόνια στην εξορία. 

Οι γονείς μου επέστρεψαν πίσω στην Ελλάδα στα τέλη της δεκαετίας του 1980 και η αδελφή μου ζει και εκείνη σήμερα στην Αθήνα. 

Υπηρέτησα τη στρατιωτική μου θητεία στην Ελλάδα, είμαι παντρεμένος και ζω στη Γδύνια της Πολωνίας."