The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three people who lost sight of their boat while scuba diving off Palm Beach Sunday afternoon, the agency said.
A Lake Worth Inlet boat crew launched around 4:10 p.m. after receiving an alert from the divers’ electronic Satellite Emergency Notification device, which sends a distress signal to authorities, according to the Coast Guard.
The patrol boat crew found the divers around 5 p.m. floating in the ocean about one mile east of Palm Beach, the agency said. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office also had crews on the search.
“It was a collective effort from everyone to save these divers,” Petty Officer 2nd Class Vallery Massey, a Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet boat crew member, said in a statement. “Thanks to their emergency equipment we were able to bring them back home to their families.”
The crew took the people to shore where paramedics were waiting. The Coast Guard said all of them were in stable condition.
The Coast Guard recommends scuba divers always carry an emergency transmitter with them. The agency also says to plan dives, ensure you have all the appropriate gear and conduct safety checks on that equipment.
Scuba diving is a physically taxing activity, so the Coast Guard also recommends getting checked out by a health care provider before heading out, not consuming alcohol or drugs before dives and always going with a dive buddy, qualified instructor or experienced guide.
