The scuba diving instructor who drowned at a Tyler diving center on Sunday wore a weighted belt while trying to retrieve a snorkel from the bottom of a pool, witnesses told police.

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Barbara McAlpin, 47, was pronounced dead at East Texas Medical Center nearly five hours after the incident at Scuba Center, 3030 Texas Highway 31 East.

According to a press release from the Tyler Police Department, a husband and wife who were taking a diving class said they were preparing for a dive when they noticed the snorkel at the bottom of the indoor training pool. McAlpin entered the pool as the students were putting on their diving gear.

The students later realized the instructor had been at the bottom of the pool for several minutes with the weighted belt on and no breathing apparatus. The man pulled her from the pool and tried to revive her while the woman called for help, police said.

Police are awaiting autopsy results from the Southeast Forensic Laboratory in Tyler before citing an official cause of death.

The owner of the scuba center did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Monday afternoon.