A Canadian air force helicopter helped rescue a 34-year-old American diver Tuesday afternoon after the man was reported overdue near Tatoosh Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The man, who is from Washington but was not identified, did not require medical attention, the U.S. Coast Guard reported. The dive tour operator he was diving with originally reported him to be an hour overdue.
A Sea King helicopter from Canada’s 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron, returning from a mission off Vancouver Island, offered to help when the crew heard the Coast Guard radio broadcast about a missing diver.
The helicopter spotted the diver floating on the surface and dropped a smoke flare, which was spotted by a fishing vessel that pulled the diver from the water, the Coast Guard reported.
A Coast Guard boat from Neah Bay accompanied the fishing vessel to Makah Marina.