The deceased diver who was pulled from Blakely Harbor Monday was a 65-year-old Bainbridge Island resident, Bainbridge city officials said late Monday.
Officials did not release the name of the diver.
According to the Bainbridge Island Police Department, the cause of death is unknown and the investigation is continuing.
The diver was recovered in approximately 108 feet of water just southeast of Blakely Rock by a local diver and divers from the Seattle Police Harbor Patrol just before 1 p.m. Monday.
The diver had been part of a group of recreational divers near Blakely Rock and was reported missing just before 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 27.
Police were also told that an initial attempt at rescuing the diver by a fellow swimmer just after the diver went missing Saturday was unsuccessful.
Marine 8, the Bainbridge Island Police Department’s marine unit, was on patrol in the area of Blakely Rock when officers heard about the missing diver over the radio.
One of the divers told Bainbridge police that a fellow diver had seen small bubbles from the missing diver’s regulator, and then found the missing diver and tried to give oxygen to the other diver but couldn’t.
The other diver also said an attempt was made to try to bring the missing diver to the surface, but the diver was unable to do so.
The last known location of the diver was marked, and the Seattle Police Harbor Patrol also responded and tried to locate and recover the missing diver, but authorities said the currents were too strong and the search was called off.
A recreational diver found the missing diver on the sea floor Sunday, and authorities were again called to the scene at approximately 2 p.m. Bainbridge Island’s Marine 8 responded along with the Seattle Police Harbor Patrol in an attempt to recover the missing diver. After 30 minutes, the recovery divers said the current was too strong for them to bring the diver to the surface.
Bainbridge police said the body of the missing diver was recovered about 1 p.m. Monday.
The Kitsap County Coroner’s Office took custody of the diver’s remains and will continue the investigation.
