Diver Disappears on Way Back to Shore
Authorities fear that a 45-year-old diver who disappeared off Cleo Beach has drowned, after an afternoon-long search Wednesday by three law enforcement agencies failed to find him.
George Godwin apparently went diving with four friends early Wednesday afternoon at a popular diving spot called “the barge,” said Mark Klosterman, chief of marine safety for the Laguna Beach lifeguards. The barge is a sunken ship in waters 40 feet deep and about 200 yards offshore.
About 15 minutes into the dive, Godwin signaled to his friends he was short on air and was heading back to shore, Klosterman said. However, when the other divers returned to the beach, Godwin wasn’t there, Klosterman said.
About 1:30 p.m., crews from the Laguna Beach lifeguards, the Newport Beach Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department began a search for Godwin, but were unsuccessful. The agencies will resume the search at 10 a.m. today.
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