Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska – Juneau
The U.S. Coast Guard is looking into the death of a commercial diver harvesting sea cucumbers near Metlakatla.
Ketchikan Marine Safety Detachment staff traveled to the southern Southeast Alaska city to investigate the incident. There’s no word yet of what they found.
The agency reports the man was diving off the Island Dancer, a 68-foot fishing tender, early Wednesday afternoon. Crew members said he surfaced after a dive, pulled off his mask and sank back into the water.
The crew pulled him out using his air hose and attempted to revive him without success.
The death took place in Chester Bay, near Metlakatla. The Tsimshian community is on Annette Island, about 15 miles south of Ketchikan.
The Coast Guard had no further information about their investigation as of Friday afternoon. Metlakatla’s Police Department was also involved in investigation but had no comment on the effort.
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