Outdoors/Adventure

Diver dragged to seafloor by dislodged wreckage off Alaska Peninsula

A man diving on a wreck about nine miles northeast of False Pass at the tip of the Alaska Peninsula was injured Thursday when a piece of the wreckage dragged him more than 50 feet down to the seafloor, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The diver, who was not identified, freed himself and surfaced before he was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter Thursday afternoon, the Coast Guard said. A video of the hoist into the helicopter shows the man able to move and apparently not badly hurt.

He was diving in about 10 feet of water when a piece of the wreck broke free and pinned him to the seafloor at a depth of about 65 feet for several minutes, according to Coast Guard public information officer Nate Littlejohn.

A dive master aboard the tender Makushin Bay reported the accident around 1:50 p.m., the Coast Guard said. The diver was described as bleeding from the nose, with possible left-side injuries.

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew out of Air Station Kodiak happened to be in nearby Cold Bay on a "non-maritime" medical transport of a possible stroke patient in Sand Point, Littlejohn said. The helicopter dropped off the patient and then picked up the diver and brought him to the clinic in Cold Bay.

He had been released as of Friday, a clinic staffer said.

Zaz Hollander

Zaz Hollander is a veteran journalist based in the Mat-Su and is currently an ADN local news editor and reporter. She covers breaking news, the Mat-Su region, aviation and general assignments. Contact her at zhollander@adn.com.

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