The body of an unnamed male scuba instructor who went missing at a shore-diving site off the city of Kingston, Ontario on the afternoon of 13 April has been recovered, according to Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
The diver and his buddy had descended onto a barge wreck marked out with guide-lines close to the shore, where the St Lawrence River meets Lake Ontario. They were said to have known the site well, with the victim reported to have had more than 25 years of scuba-diving experience.
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It was a warm, calm day at the wreck-site, though water temperature was only around 4°C.
Another diver acting as surface cover saw one of the pair of divers surface and shout out for someone to make an emergency call. His buddy was then seen to surface momentarily before disappearing, leaving no bubble trail.
The emergency services were called at just after 3pm and Kingston fire-rescue, police and paramedics were said to have responded rapidly. A boat was deployed to pick up the surfaced diver, who was reported to be in distress some 15m out, to be taken to hospital for treatment to minor injuries.
Coast Guard vessels searched the area extensively until around 11pm, after which Frontenac OPP continued the operation with the police underwater search & recovery unit. They found the diver’s body the following day, and his next of kin were informed. Ontario coroner’s office is now investigating the incident.
Also on Divernet: LINE-RETRIEVAL ENDS IN DIVER DEATH + SUNK BOAT, CANAL DIVER TRAPPED UNDER ICE, NORTH AMERICA’S GREAT LAKES, GHOST SHIPS OF THE GREAT LAKES – PART 1
