Another major search and rescue operation was launched in the Channel yesterday afternoon (27 July) in response to reports of a scuba diver missing on the edge of shipping lanes, some 16km south of Hastings in East Sussex.
The alarm was raised at around 12.50pm, and in attendance were two Coastguard helicopters and three fixed-wing aircraft as well as the RNLI inshore lifeboat from Hastings, joined later by other boats from Eastbourne and Dungeness.
UPDATE: The body of a male diver was recovered by fellow-divers the following afternoon (28 July), according to Sussex Police.
Also called out during the night was the Hastings-based Pett Level Independent Rescue Boat (PLIRB), pictured above.
Recreational and commercial vessels in the area also responded to the emergency, and the operation continued until after midnight in choppy and deteriorating sea conditions until the searchers were stood down.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the diver's loved ones at this difficult time,” stated Eastbourne RNLI, adding that the call-out had been the tenth in eight days for the volunteer lifeboat crews.
Also on Divernet: Missing diver named: police seek information, Search called off in second Eastbourne scuba incident, Airlifted man dies after Channel dive, Lifeboat responds to divers off Portland
