Two divers go missing in Port Royal Sound Thursday night, found hours later by rescuers
Two divers reported missing off the coast of Hilton Head Island at 11 p.m. Thursday were both found alive Friday morning, according to authorities.
The two men had been diving in the Port Royal Sound of Bay Point and Hilton Head Plantation Thursday afternoon when the current became strong, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Bob Bromage said Friday morning.
The U.S. Coast Guard discovered the first diver, a 66-year-old man, in the early hours of Friday when searching the area by helicopter. He was found floating in the water and tethered to his boat, Bromage said.
Upon finding the diver, the Coast Guard deployed a rescue swimmer, hoisted the man up to the helicopter and transported him to Savannah Memorial Health University Medical Center, according to U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Ryan Dickinson.
The search for the second diver, who is 49, continued until around 8 a.m. Friday when a call came into dispatch that he had been found by a charter fishing boat several miles from his diving vessel, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Good Samaritan brought the diver to the Edgar Glen Boat Landing on the Okatie side across from Lemon Island, according to Dickinson.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Beaufort Marine Rescue Squadron and Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office all assisted in the search.
This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 9:54 AM with the headline "Two divers go missing in Port Royal Sound Thursday night, found hours later by rescuers."
