Diver vanishes 24 miles off North Carolina. He drifted 3 miles before rescue, USCG says

The U.S. Coast Guard found a needle in a haystack when an aircrew spotted a missing scuba diver adrift 24 miles off North Carolina’s coast.

The diver, 54-year-old Steve Oatman, survived the ordeal with no injuries, the Coast Guard reported in a news release.

Oatman, a scuba diving instructor, vanished around 12:26 p.m. Tuesday, Aug., 13, while diving 24 miles off Bald Head Island in southeastern North Carolina. Bald Head Island is about 40 miles south of Wilmington.

His wife was at the scene in a boat, and grew concerned when he never resurfaced from a dept of about 100 feet, officials said.

“Oatman’s wife notified watchstanders he was missing, stating that he was wearing a wet suit, dive equipment, and had a personal locator beacon (PLB) with him,” the Coast Guard said.

“He was diving alone and only supposed to dive for an hour, but 30 minutes after his resurfacing time had passed, his wife called the sector.”

Air and boat crews were launched to find Oatman, who was spotted from the air around 2 p.m. “waving his arms,” officials said. A boat was directed to the location to pick him up.

“The boatcrew, along with good Samaritan divers, recovered (the diver) from the water with no reported injuries approximately 3 miles northwest of the initial reported location,” the Coast Guard said.

Oatman revealed he resurfaced exactly as planned, but his boat had drifted away from the dive site. He was in the water for about two and a half hours, officials say.

Identities of the good Samaritan divers were not released.

Oatman is a scuba charter captain and owner of WETSU Scuba based in Carolina Beach, N.C. He is retired military and a former director at United States Army Electronic Warfare School, according to his Facebook page.

He was carrying equipment that made it easier to find him, the Coast Guard said.

“This diver’s preparedness and experience played a major factor in his rescue,” Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Sparks said in the news release. “Having the right safety gear, filing a float plan, and staying calm under pressure can help any diver or mariner in danger.”

North Carolina’s coast is popular with divers due to “thousands of shipwrecks” in a region known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic.

This story was originally published August 15, 2024 at 7:27 AM.