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She was brought to the surface, where an Australian doctor and nurse performed CPR while waiting for an air ambulance to arrive.
A Central Queensland rescue spokesman told the M.E.N that Mrs Taylor had been unconscious for 10 minutes after Wednesday's incident, but was revived.
She was taken to the Mackay Base Hospital in a critical condition and later transferred to Townsville Hospital for decompression treatment.
"The woman, 42-year-old Jill Taylor from Manchester, was on a commercial diving trip with her husband when she suffered a seizure and a cardiac arrest while in the water," the spokesman said.
CPR
"She received rapid attention from the doctor on board the boat and along with the nurse they conducted CPR, which no doubt has saved her life."
Rescue doctor Fran Kinnear said the heart attack was a result of pressure changes while diving.
"The decompression injury resulted in a number of neurological effects to the patient including temporary blindness," she said.
"If not for the immediate treatment the patient received from the doctor and nurse on board the dive boat, the outcome might have been very different."
Dr Kinnear said Mrs Taylor was `progressing well' at Townsville Hospital.
Divers can suffer decompression illnesses - known as "the bends" - as they return to the surface.
Nitrogen dissolved into body tissues at high pressure is released as bubbles, which can block the small veins and arteries. In severe cases, people can suffer shock, total collapse and even death. Treatment includes pressurized chambers and the inhalation of pure oxygen.
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