Authorities investigate Kodiak diver death

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Old Harbor
Type: Death investigation
On 10/11/15 at approximately 1336 hours, Alaska State Troopers were notified of a deceased individual at Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center. Investigation revealed the U.S. Coast Guard had medevaced a diver from the F/V Momo and Maddie to the hospital emergency room. The vessel was participating in the sea cucumber commercial dive fishery near Port Hobron, approximately six miles from the village of Old Harbor. Further investigation identified the commercial diver as Gary Graves, 36, of Kodiak. The state medical examiner was notified of the death and requested the body be transported to their office for examination. Next of kin has been notified and the investigation continues.

Editor's note: State records list Gary A. Graves, of Dover, N.H., as the owner of the 47-foot Momo and Maddie.

Diver death reported at Ketchikan

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Ketchikan
Type: Death investigation
On 10/8/13 at approximately 1030 hours, a mayday went out from the F/V Ostrich, which was outside of Ketchikan. It was reported that there was an injured diver in need of assistance. The U.S. Coast Guard responded and assisted with transporting the diver to a hospital in Ketchikan. Troopers learned that after arriving at the hospital, 32-year-old Levi Adams, of Leawood, Kan., was declared deceased. The cause and circumstances of his death are under investigation. Next of kin for Adams has been notified.

Note: The U.S. Coast Guard said today "a person involved in the sea cucumber fishery died in a diving accident" on Tuesday. The Coast Guard, however, failed to name the victim.

Diver dies prior to sea cucumber opener

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Death investigation
On 10/24/11 at 0530 hours, John Robert Pugh Jr., 35, of Juneau, was in the vicinity of Funter Bay on the west coast of Admiralty Island on a 21-foot skiff working as a deckhand in a sea cucumber fishery opener that was scheduled to start at 0800. Pugh was on his second recreational scuba dive of the morning and diving alone at 0630 when the boat operator and permit holder noticed that Pugh's activity in the water had stopped. The skiff moved closer to Pugh's location where a diver entered the water and contacted Pugh, who was unresponsive near the bottom in 20 feet of water with his regulator out of his mouth. Pugh was brought to the surface and hoisted on the boat where CPR was initiated and Pugh remained unresponsive. Pugh was immediately transported back to Auke Bay and the U.S. Coast Guard was notified via marine radio. Upon arrival at the Auke Bay boat launch the skiff was met by the Juneau fire and rescue squad who determined that Pugh was deceased. Based upon the scene investigation and the interview with the witness, the medical examiner's office was contacted and ordered the deceased sent to Anchorage for an autopsy. There were no signs of trauma to the body detected and the cause of death is unknown. The Juneau Police Department assisted with the notification of next of kin. The deceased was an experienced and certified PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) diver and owner of a local dive business for the past year.

Sea cucumber diver dies near Annette Island

This just in from the U.S. Coast Guard:

Jan. 13, 2011

Coast Guard investigates commercial fisheries-related death

JUNEAU — Coast Guard investigators from Marine Safety Detachment Ketchikan are working with the Annette Island Department of Fish and Game and the Metlakatla Police Department in the investigation of a commercial diving death that occurred Wednesday on the 68-foot fishing tender Island Dancer near Annette Island.

Metlakatla police reported the incident to the Coast Guard at 2:30 p.m. and two Ketchikan-based investigators flew to Metlakatla to begin the investigation.

The crew of the commercial vessel Island Dancer has reportedly told investigators the diver surfaced and took off his mask and immediately sank about 1 p.m.

The crew reportedly pulled the diver out of the water using the air hose and immediately provided first aid.

The Island Dancer crew was reportedly fishing for sea cucumbers in Chester Bay near Metlakatla at the time of the incident.