An extensive search has been launched for a diver who disappeared while on a recreational dive earlier today. The incident occurred at approximately 10 am on Friday August 13, 2021, in the area of the Winchelsea Islands near Nanoose.
The RCMP says that due to a language barrier there was approximately a two-hour time delay in reporting the incident. Investigators have learned that two men were on a 14-foot vessel, and one of the two was diving. When the diver did not surface when expected, his friend on the boat called an individual on shore, who in turn eventually called 911.
Joint Rescue Coordination Centre are currently searching the area with their hovercraft and helicopter, while a Canadian Coast Guard vessel is in the water, along with a Volunteer rescue crew. Ground based Search and Rescue personnel are searching the immediate coastline.
The missing diver is in his 40’s. He is of South Asian descent and speaks little English. He is wearing a black wet suit and has a diving tank attached. If anyone has information on the whereabouts of the missing diver, please call 911 or the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345, and quote file # 2021-30371.
