Berita Harian reported that the victim was diving at the popular site with two other Malaysians and a dive instructor when the incident occurred at 9.30am.

The daily quoted Berita Rakyat Aceh as saying Indonesian police rushed to the site after receiving a report.

The group had been diving for about 20 minutes at a depth of 30m when they were caught in a strong underwater current.

The victim was said to have attempted to surface following the instructor’s orders but lost consciousness upon reaching the surface.

He was immediately assisted by the others and taken to Pantai Iboih in a speedboat.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was administered by the instructor and fellow divers before he was taken to a nearby clinic.

He was pronounced dead upon arrival an hour later at 10.30am.

His body was taken to Sabang City Hospital for a post-mortem.

The remains are expected to be repatriated to Malaysia once the post-mortem is completed.