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Press Release | Aug. 13, 2023

Coast Guard searching for 4 missing male divers 50 miles south of Cape Fear, North Carolina  

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard is searching for four missing male divers Sunday 50 miles south of Cape Fear, North Carolina.  

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received a notification from Coast Guard Sector Charleston who reported that four men diving from the pleasure craft Big Bill’s, approximately 63 miles east of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina near noon, had not resurfaced.  

Coordinating with Sector Charleston, Sector North Carolina launched a multi-asset search and rescue effort.  

Rescue crews involved include:  

  • A MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina   
  • An HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew from Air Station Elizabeth City  
  • An HC-130 aircraft crew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater 
  • A 47-foot motor lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Oak Island, North Carolina 
  • The Coast Guard Cutter Sailfish, an 87-foot patrol boat from Sandy Hook, New Jersey 
  • The Coast Guard Cutter Yellowfin, an 87-foot patrol boat from Charleston, South Carolina 

Current sea state is about 2-3 feet with 10-knot winds.  

Crews will continue searching through the night. 

USCGNews

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