Catalina Diver Fails to Surface; Search Is Futile

A diver was reported missing off the coast of Santa Catalina Island on Sunday morning after failing to surface with a companion who had dived with him, officials said.

An eight-hour search failed to find any sign of the unidentified man, whose companion had left him on the ocean floor, about 120 feet below the surface, said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Nick Stagliano.

“The two divers were trying to surface, when, for some reason, the missing diver went back down,” Stagliano said. “The buddy diver went down and tried to pull him up.”

Dwindling Air Supply

Officials said the weight of the lost diver’s equipment and the companion’s dwindling air supply forced the second diver to resurface.

“It’s possible the missing diver was unconscious,” Stagliano said.

Water pressure at 120 feet is so great that divers cannot safely stay down for prolonged periods, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies said.

Divers searching for the missing man combed the area for about four hours. Coast Guard personnel then conducted a surface search, using helicopters, but found no traces of the diver who is reported to be enlisted in the Navy. His name is being withheld pending notification of relatives.

Officials said they would resume searching today.