Body of scuba diver who vanished while boating with wife found, Washington cops say

The body of a missing scuba diver who never resurfaced while boating with his wife in the Puget Sound, has been recovered after nearly three days of searching, Washington officials said.

The 67-year-old Bellevue man — an experienced scuba diver — and his wife, 63, launched a small boat from Bowman Bay in Deception Pass State Park and drove a short distance from shore to dive Sunday evening, according to a news release from the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office.

He dove in but never resurfaced, the sheriff’s office said. After waiting 30 minutes, his wife called for help around 6 p.m.

A U.S. Coast Guard crew training near Bellingham diverted to the area to assist with the search, the Skagit Valley Herald reported. The Island County Sheriff’s Office, an air crew from Port Angeles, State Parks and Skagit Search and Rescue also aided with the search Sunday until 11 p.m., when the search was suspended, according to the sheriff’s office and a tweet from USCG Pacific Northwest.

“This is the hardest part of the job,” Clark told the Herald. “It’s always difficult deciding to suspend the search.”

The search resumed Monday, the Herald reported, and officials found the man’s body Tuesday, according to Skagit County Undersheriff Chad Clark.

This story was originally published July 27, 2021 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Body of scuba diver who vanished while boating with wife found, Washington cops say."