Missing diver identified as new DNR diver from Puyallup

Published 10:39 am Wednesday, July 25, 2012

A Puyallup resident has been identified as the diver who is presumed dead after he went missing while diving in the waters southwest of Restoration Point on Bainbridge Island.

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources identified the missing diver as David D. Scheinost, 24.

Scheinost was a geoduck compliance diver with the department’s Aquatic Resources Division. Officials said he was hired on Feb. 1 and graduated in 2010 from the Divers Institute of Technology in Seattle.

“David’s family and friends, as well as his fellow divers, are in our thoughts and prayers as we come to terms with the loss of such a young and vibrant life,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark. “As a son, cousin, nephew, coworker and friend, David will not be forgotten.”

Scheinost was part of a DNR dive team that was sampling for paralytic shellfish poisoning on the Restoration Point geoduck tract, an area of wildstock geoduck fishery managed by the state.

An extensive search Tuesday for Scheinost came up empty. Officials said search and rescue efforts were restarted Wednesday morning and are being conducted by the Bainbridge Island Police Department and supported by the Coast Guard, Navy, Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office and DNR law enforcement.