ROCKLAND, Maine (24 Apr 2005) -- A recreational scuba diver drowned Sunday afternoon off Sandy Beach in Rockland. Rockland firefighters, the Maine Marine Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard scoured Rockland Harbor for more than 90 minutes, before finding the diver yards from the MBNA pier just north of the beach. The diver, who remains unidentified, was retrieved from the bottom by Marine Patrol Officer Brian Tolman and Rockland firefighter Rodney Gibbs. Tolman said late Sunday that the diver's identity was being witheld until notification of his children. The diver was a 51-year-old local man, Tolman said, who was diving Sunday with his wife. The couple had recently finished scuba instruction at the Penobscot Bay YMCA, Tolman said. He cited inexperience as possible factor in Sunday's accident. When found, the diver's facemask and regulator were still in place, said Tolman. His air tank had approximately 70 pounds remaining, he added, which was very low, but above the danger line. The diver's weight belt was fastened and his BC, or buoyancy compensating, vest was not inflated. "Something happened down there," said Tolman. "Perhaps he got disoriented. Everything appeared to be in order, I can't say it was equipment failure." The diver was found in about 12 feet of water, yard from the MBNA dock. Tolman said he peered into the murky water and saw "two little white things," which were the diver's air gauges. | | Maine Marine Patrol Officer Brian Tolman and Rockland firefighter Rodney Gibbs pull the diver from the water Sunday. (Photo by Anthony Ronzio) Tolman used a boat hook to grab at the white things, which were in the approximate area where the diver was last seen. He was able to hook onto the diver's breathing apparatus and haul him up. "I saw something red," said Tolman. "I had been told he was wearing a royal blue wetsuit, but I didn't know he was wearing a red BC vest." Gibbs dived across the boat to hold the man to the surface, and then raced him to waiting emergency crews at Sandy Beach. The diver was transported to Penobscot Bay Medical Center, but was unable to be revived. Tolman said there's no sign of foul play, so there will be no autopsy, but his gear will be checked by professional divers at the Maine State Police Crime Lab in Augusta. SOURCE - Village Soup |
