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The search for a missing diver took an ominous turn last night after a man's body was found near the Andrea Doria shipwreck, a dangerous site about 40 miles south of Nantucket that has claimed divers' lives before.
The Coast Guard initially sent out two Jayhawk helicopter crews from its Cape Cod air station as well as the cutter Hammerhead, an 87-foot patrol boat, from Woods Hole to search for the diver who failed to surface yesterday as expected near the famed shipwreck.
Officials would not identify the man but said he appeared to be one of 10 recreational divers aboard a 38-foot commercial vessel that brings divers to the popular site, known as the Mount Everest of scuba diving.
The Coast Guard in Boston received a distress call from the vessel around noon yesterday reporting that one of the divers failed to surface when expected, an hour earlier.
After the discovery of the body, both helicopters and the cutter were called off and a smaller boat and crew were dispatched to continue the search, said Connie Terrell, a spokeswoman for the Coast Guard.
Terrell said the body has not yet been identified as that of the missing diver.
The vessel from which the man dived will take the body to Montauk, N.Y., this morning, where it will be met by State Police and a coroner, who will identify the body. Terrell said the next of kin will be notified to ensure a positive identification.
"The Coast Guard recommends taking all safety precautions necessary to remain safe while diving and to always have a dive partner," said Petty Officer First Class Stephen Kent, the search and rescue controller at the Coast Guard's Boston sector.
The Andrea Doria was a 700-foot Italian ocean liner used for shipping after World War II. The ship sank on July 26, 1956, after a collision with a Swedish liner, killing 51 people.
Since then, the site, which is about 230 feet deep, has been frequented by divers. The Andrea Doria, named for a Renaissance Italian admiral, is at least 100 feet below the average diving depth for scuba divers, but those seeking a thrill have enjoyed the challenge of reaching the famous wreck.
According to Globe reports, over the past 25 years, at least 15 people have died after diving in the almost zero visibility of the Andrea Doria's depths - including David Bright, a noted researcher of underwater exploration and shipwrecks, in 2006, and William Schmoldt, an experienced diver from New Jersey, in 2002.
Our sympathies to the friends and family of the diver concerned.
It'll be interesting to hear the findings of the appropriate authorities as to the cause. Lots to think about when you're heading 230 feet down in cold and dark conditions, to enter a wreck that has been there for a long time and, by my understanding, is breaking up as the years go by. We'll see what can be learned from this incident.
Anyone read Shadow Divers or The Last Dive? While Shadow Divers is focussed primarily on the discovery and identification of a German submarine, both books contain descriptions of that kind of diving, their trips to the Andrea Doria and the issues those dives present. Well worth a read, get a copy for beach reading on your next dive trip.
I know a few divers that have been to the Doria, including Richie Kohler. This is NOT a recreational wreck dive! I hope to get there someday, but the it may never happen. Not only is the water too rough there most of the year, the water is COLD and dark with bad currents! The wreck is also in poor condition at this point. Here is some info. I have found on the current condition of the wreck:
As of 2007, years of ocean submersion have taken their toll. The wreck has aged and deteriorated extensively, with the hull now fractured and collapsed. The upper decks have slowly slid off the wreck to the seabed below. As a result of this transformation, a large debris field flows out from the hull of the liner. Once-popular access points frequented by divers, such as Gimbel's Hole, no longer exist. Divers call the Andrea Doria a "noisy" wreck as it emits various noises due to continual deterioration and the currents' moving broken metal around inside the hull. However, due to this decay new access areas are constantly opening up for future divers on the ever-changing wreck.
Divers Body Found Near Andrea Doria
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