This undated photo shows a sign for U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam, in Apra Harbor, Guam. (Joseph Ditzler/Stars and Stripes)
Eight recreational divers spent more than 24 hours floating in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Palau before they were rescued by a local fisherman, the U.S. Coast Guard said Monday.
The divers — seven tourists and one guide — were reported missing Thursday near Peleliu Corner, a popular dive spot, and were found by a Palau fisherman the next day.
Meanwhile, the divers were the subject of a collaborative search led by Republic of Palau rescue authorities with support from the Coast Guard, the service said in a news release on Monday.
Peleliu Island is southwest of Palau’s main island, Babeldaob, and about 500 miles east of the Philippines. Peleliu Corner is a challenging dive site known for its strong currents. Sport diving guides in the area recommend the site for advanced, experienced divers only.
The divers boated to the site and began the dive at about 11 a.m. Thursday, Palau time, but failed to surface after 45 minutes, Chief Warrant Officer Sara Muir told Stars and Stripes by email Monday. They were reported overdue to Palau rescue authorities at noon, she said.
“Our search had us looking for people in the water, rather than a boat,” Muir wrote in a follow-up email Monday.
Palau responders reported thunderstorms and heavy showers in the area, with 11-17 mile per hour winds from the east, waves up to 3 feet high and swells of 5-7 feet, the release said.
The service’s Joint Rescue Sub-Center Guam took over search and rescue coordination at 10 a.m. Friday in Guam, Muir wrote. Guam is one hour ahead of Palau.
The Coast Guard directed Palau’s Marine Law Enforcement Division, state rangers and Pacific Mission Aviation, a religious organization, to shift its search efforts from the southwest to the northwest of the island based on updated drift modeling, the release said.
The Coast Guard team, led by Cmdr. Ryan Crose, used the service’s Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System, which “combines environmental data such as currents, wind and drift characteristics to predict where individuals or objects may drift over time,” Muir said.
Before the responders received new search coordinates, however, the fisherman located the missing divers where the Coast Guard predicted they might be found.
The divers were found at about 4 p.m. Friday along the reef line northwest of Peleliu, Muir said.
The Island Times, a Palau newspaper, in a Facebook post Saturday identified the fisherman as Jerome Sakurai. The divers — seven tourists from China and a Palauan dive guide — were found about 30 miles northwest of the dive site, the post stated.
“Search and rescue efforts are always a team effort, and we’re grateful for the swift action of Palau’s responders and community,” Crose, the Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam search and rescue mission coordinator, said in the release.
The divers received medical evaluations and basic care after being rescued, but did not require hospitalization, Muir said.
“Ultimately, the safe return of these eight divers is what matters most,” Crose said in a statement emailed by Muir. “We’re relieved their holiday did not end badly and grateful for the effort by everyone involved.”
