Two male scuba divers have died in the space of five days, on either side of the 50km-wide Strait of Georgia in British Columbia, Canada.
On Wednesday, 20 May a 66-year-old man was found unresponsive off the southern Gulf Islands near Nanaimo. BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) received a call at around 5pm from boaters who had spotted the diver motionless at the surface near a mooring buoy, some 30m offshore in Gabriola Island’s Degnen Bay.
The diver was not breathing but the boaters had attempted to resuscitate him on shore while waiting for emergency responders to arrive. When paramedics, the Gabriola Fire Department and local doctors turned up they continued to treat the diver, but he was eventually pronounced dead.
According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the man had entered the water alone in scuba gear from a Degnen Bay dock and had surface-swum only as far as the buoy.
The RCMP has commended the actions of the boaters and emergency responders and confirmed that the man was a resident of Gabriola Island, known for its artistic community.
Yesterday (24 May) another scuba diver, this time a 50-year-old man, died in the waters off Whytecliff Park in West Vancouver, on the opposite shore of the Strait of Georgia.
The Canadian Coast Guard, BCEHS and West Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services responded following an emergency call to the police at 1.26pm, but the diver was declared dead at the scene.
Whytecliff Park is one of the province’s best-known shore-diving sites, and is often used for training dives. Both deaths are now subject to investigation by the BC Coroners Service.
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