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| News Release |
Date: Aug. 7, 2008 Contact: Ricardo D. Castrodad Sector San Juan Public Affairs Specialist
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Coast Guard and F.U.R.A. Combine Efforts to Rescue Diver in Guanica Waters, Puerto Rico SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The crews of a Coast Guard helicopter and a Puerto Rico Police marine unit combined efforts to save a diver Wednesday in waters approximately three nautical miles southwest of the Playa Santa, Guanica shoreline. The survivor is a 25 year-old man, resident of Guanica, who had gone out diving at 7 a.m. Wednesday and was expected to return from his dive three hours later. Coast Guard Search and Rescue Coordinators at Sector San Juan received a call at 10:47 a.m. Wednesday from a friend of the diver, who requested assistance from the Coast Guard to search for the overdue diver. Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen, Aguadilla launched a HH-65 Dolphin helicopter at 11:17 a.m. Wednesday to search for the overdue diver. The Coast Guard helicopter crew located the diver in distress at 11:54 a.m. waving his fins at the helicopter crew for assistance. The crew of a Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action F.U.R.A. marine unit, operating in the vicinity, also arrived on scene and recovered the diver from the water and brought him on board the police vessel. The crew of the F.U.R.A. marine unit transported the diver to the fishing village in Playa Santa, where he was transferred to awaiting paramedics who transported the diver to the Guanica Treatment Center, where he was later released in good health. "It's a good diving practice for divers to go out with a dive partner and mark the dive area with a proper dive flag as well as having available proper signaling equipment to facilitate search and rescue aircraft and vessels in locating them during a distress," said Lt. j.g. George Suchanek, Air Station Borinquen HH-65 Dolphin helicopter pilot. Here are some safety tips to remember before and during a dive:
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