Volunteers Locate Body of Missing Diver From Irvine
The body of a missing diver from Irvine was recovered Wednesday afternoon more than 100 feet under the sea off the coast of Anacapa Island, authorities said.
The family of 45-year-old Joo Hwan Hong had chartered a boat in Ventura on Wednesday morning, and one of nine divers who volunteered to search found the victim about 1:30 p.m., authorities said.
Hong’s wife, children and several other family members were aboard the dive vessel Spectere when the diver found the man, who was reported missing about 10:30 a.m. Sunday after he failed to resurface during an outing with a Los Angeles diving club.
More than a dozen U.S. Coast Guard workers and sheriff’s deputies searched for Hong on Sunday and Monday but stopped looking Tuesday because of rough seas.
James Baroni, a senior deputy coroner for Ventura County, said an autopsy was scheduled for today to determine how Hong died. His diving equipment also will be tested.
The death appears to have been accidental, authorities said.
Baroni said Hong was an experienced diver. He was found face down in his wetsuit and had with him a couple of fish he had caught.
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