At 1614 today Crosshaven Lifeboat crew were paged to a report of a diver failing to surface 5 miles south east of Roches Point. Rescue 117, Ballycotton Lifeboat and Crosshaven Coastguard boat were also tasked to the incident, and the motor vessels Jon Boy and Hyland Lass, along with a 7.5m rib, responded to the Coastguard's Mayday Relay.
On arriving at the last reported position of the dive rib, there was no sign of the boat. While Crosshaven Lifeboat crew discussed the situation with the "Jon Boy", a "Surface Marker Buoy" was spotted by the helm of the lifeboat about 200 yards away. Crosshaven Lifeboat was quickly alongside the missing diver and recovered him to the lifeboat. He had surfaced in a controlled manner but was separated from the support rib. All units other than Crosshaven & Ballycotton were then stood down while the dive rib was located and the diver re-united with his buddy.
Speaking later, Helm Ian Venner said "the diver was extremely lucky - he had two SMBs with him and this helped us spot him very quickly. All too often missing diver incidents have a different outcome but today the diver & his buddy were happily reunited. It reinforces the need to be properly prepared - you can never predict when your life will depend on your safety equipment. That's why SeaCheck, a free safety equipment check, can prove so useful".
