Four divers were safely recovered off the North Carolina coast after being reported missing during a weekend dive. The incident occurred while they were diving from a pleasure vessel called Big Bill’s on Sunday around noon. The U.S. Coast Guard stated they were roughly 50 miles from Cape Fear, N.C., and 63 miles from Myrtle Beach, S.C., at that time.
Both the Charleston and North Carolina Coast Guard sectors coordinated a substantial search and rescue operation. The divers were found by a Coast Guard C-130 from Air Station Elizabeth City at approximately 12:45 a.m. Monday, as per Jonathan Lally, a spokesperson for the US Coast Guard 5th District. Their location was determined to be 46 miles southeast of the Cape Fear River in North Carolina.
Upon identifying a strobe light flashing an SOS signal, rescue teams dispatched a life raft, Lally informed both CNN and NPR. The rescued divers, who were unharmed, reached the Coast Guard Station Oak Island by 6:10 a.m. Monday and have since been reunited with their families.
The coastal region of the Carolinas, known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” has witnessed numerous shipwrecks over the years, as reported by the Associated Press. The cause of the divers’ disappearance remains unclear, but an investigation is underway, said Lally. He emphasized the significance of safely returning the divers to their families.