NANAIMO, British Columbia (24 Nov 2007) —
A diver who became disoriented while exploring a sunken Second World War ship in the waters off Nanaimo Saturday is missing and presumed dead.
With darkness approaching, and the diver's estimated (air supply) long since depleted, rescue crews ended their search of the HMCS Cape Breton artificial reef around 4 p.m. Saturday, some three hours after the man failed to surface, said Canadian Coast Guard spokesman Dan Bate.
The incident has been handed to Nanaimo RCMP as a missing persons case, he said.
"It's a pretty terrible outcome for a recreational dive," said Bate. "But diving is a pretty risky sport."
The missing man was a fairly experienced diver, said Bate. He has not been identified.
The man and a female partner had intended to explore the hulking, 122-metre-long, six-storey Cape Breton, which is billed as one of the world's largest artificial reefs and sits on the ocean floor off Snake Island, near Nanaimo. It was sunk by the Nanaimo Dive Association in 2001.
The crow's nest of the old navy war vessel is 12 metres below the surface, and the engine room - described as an intricate cavern of pipes and catwalks - sits at a depth of more than 40 metres and is considered an advanced-dive location.
It is not known where the man and woman were trying to go. However, it appears when they entered one of the many rooms inside the ship, they accidentally stirred up silt and became disoriented, said Bate.
"When the silt stirs up, it's like a sandstorm underwater," he said. "With no vision, you are left to feel your way along."
The woman escaped the wreck and called for help. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria sent a Cormorant helicopter from 19 Wing CFB Comox, Coast Guard Auxiliary ships from French Creek and Nanaimo, and an RCMP marine rescue vessel. A hovercraft from Sea Island, near Richmond, brought a dive team, which descended into the ship but was unable to locate the man, said Bate.
The HMCS Cape Breton was scuttled off Nanaimo to boost tourism.
The HMCS Cape Breton is one of three extremely popular dive locations in the waters off Nanaimo that attract tens of thousands of divers to the area.
The nearby HMCS Saskatchewan naval destroyer was scuttled as an artificial reef in 40 metres of water in 1997. The tugboat Rivtow Lion was sunk in 2004 near Newcastle Island.
The boats are billed as spectacular dive locations, where divers can enter numerous underwater rooms and see a wide variety of sea life.
Despite the accident, Bate said the Coast Guard would not be issuing any warnings to divers about the risks associated with the area.
"The Coast Guard is not in a position to advise that particular community where to dive."
SOURCE - Times Colonist
