Dead Vic diver had 30kg of illegal abalone A MELBOURNE scuba diver who died while carrying an illegal haul of abalone back to shore had previously been prosecuted for poaching. The body of Andrew Houston, 51, was found on the sea floor off Brighton Bay, only 50 metres from the beach. Police say he had about 30kg of abalone in a bag and did not have a licence to catch the prized mollusc. He was also substantially over the daily limit of five abalone for recreational fishers - and it was closed season. It's believed Mr Houston, of Carnegie, received infringement notices in 1989 and 1992 for poaching and he was known to fisheries officials. Abalone is a delicacy that can be worth more than $50 per kilogram on the black market. A spokesman for the Department of Environment and Primary Industries declined to comment on the case but confirmed the state has a maximum 10-year jail term in place to deter abalone poachers. The experienced diver's death has raised questions about the risks he was taking. "If you're exerting yourself by carrying a 30kg bag, even in ideal conditions, diving can stress the heart out to the point where you can lose consciousness," said John Lippmann of the scuba safety group Divers Alert Network. Kat Vcelka, a veteran diving instructor at the Academy of Scuba, said divers should never swim alone. "It's a beautiful world out there and it's just unfortunate that some people may be pushing the limits," she said. Mr Houston, a father of three, vanished while solo diving on Mother's Day. His body was found on Monday afternoon. Leading Senior Constable Matt Roberts said he was found face down, wearing full scuba gear. "There were no obvious signs of injury and no equipment malfunction," he said. An autopsy to determine the cause of death is yet to be completed. It was the third diving death in Victoria this year. Across Australia, there are about 18 to 22 deaths of scuba divers and snorkellers each year. But Mr Lippmann said recent statistics pointed to an average of only 0.7 deaths per 100,000 dives. "It is relatively safe," he said. Where the problems are arising now are in people's health, especially with cardiac conditions. Mr Houston's partner, Livinia Talbot, said she was still in a state of shock over his death and had heard nothing of the illegal abalone haul. "This is the first I'm hearing of all of this today," Ms Talbot told Fairfax radio. "No one told me that's what was with him and that's not what his main purpose was," she said. She described Mr Houston as a nature and animal lover who particularly loved the ocean. "He was so, so experienced," Ms Talbot said. This is why we just can't ... we don't know what has happened.