Diver dies during night dive at Puget Sound’s Redondo Beach

A scuba diver has died after suffering a medical emergency during a night dive in Puget Sound at Redondo Beach in Des Moines, Washington.

The diver, who has been identified as a 67-year-old man, was surfaced and removed from the water by his two dive buddies at around 9 pm on Monday, 25 August.

The two divers were taken to hospital for observation for possible decompression illness after making a rapid ascent while assisting their buddy.

Redondo Park is situated in the south of Puget Sound, a popular spot with local divers where sixgill sharks are regularly spotted.

Rumours circulating on social media shortly after the medical emergency was reported claimed that the diver’s death may have been caused by electrocution after an electrical fire caused a power outage at around the same time.

Local authorities dismissed the rumours, however, saying the two incidents were unrelated.

‘During a night dive, one of the participants experienced a medical emergency at depth and was quickly brought to the surface,’ Captain Brad Chaney of South King Fire & Rescue told The Waterland Blog.

‘The patient was then swam back to shore, where our firefighters met them. Crews took over and performed several rounds of CPR, but unfortunately, the patient was pronounced dead at the scene.’

‘To clarify some misinformation on social media, statements were made that this was a possible electrocution,’ Chaney continued.

‘The area was experiencing a power outage at the time of the incident. There was an electrical fire incident just before the CPR incident at 8:53 pm that most likely caused the power outage.’

The Des Moines Police Department has opened an investigation into the incident.

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