ST. GEORGE — A Florida man diving in Lake Mead Saturday died following resuscitation efforts by emergency crews.
A 48-year-old man diving to the B-29 crash site at Lake Mead National Recreation Area floated to the surface just before 2 p.m., Christie Vanover, the park’s public affairs officer, said.
Emergency medical and rescue crews were dispatched to the scene where they found the man unresponsive. The diver could not be resuscitated, Vanover said, and was subsequently pronounced dead at 2:40 p.m.
Earlier the man was diving with a group to explore the underwater crash site, and during the dive the man floated to the surface and appeared to be unconscious. A member of the group still on the boat observed the man’s condition and immediately called for help over the marine band radio.
What caused the man’s death is undetermined at this time and the incident is currently under investigation.
“Part of the investigation will include obtaining the man’s medical history,” Vanover said, “and possibly checking the dive equipment to make sure it was working properly.”
The Clark County Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death and confirm the man’s identity, according to a news release issued by Vanover.
Personnel and rescuers from the National Park Service, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Mercy Air and the Clark County Fire Department responded and tended to the man, according to information released by the public affairs officer.
Lake Mead National Recreation Area includes Lake Mead and Lake Mohave. It is favorite for scuba divers worldwide.
The Boeing B-29 crashed into Lake Mead on July 21, 1948, and wasn’t discovered until August 2002 by local divers. The crashed plane sits at the bottom of the Overton Arm of Lake Mead, under 110 feet of water in a protected site within the park. The large plane rests on a rocky bottom where temperatures generally fall to around 50 degrees.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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I wonder if that 110′ was the depth when the plane was discovered on 2002 or the depth at the current level ( 2016 ) .
Anyone know ?
it’s actually a pretty cool dive we did it a few times while we lived out there but the water level was much higher than it is now