A DIVER HAS died after getting into difficulty off the Donegal coast.
The Coastguard said that the incident occurred at 4.30pm yesterday afternoon, when reports of the diver in difficulty came through.
The diver was diving with another person off St John’s Point in Donegal Bay when he surfaced in difficulty.
“We don’t know what happened during the dive,” said the Coastguard.
The diver was taken by Coastguard helicopter to Sligo Hospital, but despite all efforts was pronounced dead on arrival.
The second diver who was with him was also brought to hospital but was not in serious condition.
A Coastguard boat from Killybegs and Bundoran Lifeboat also assisted.
Lifeboat
The RNLI said that the volunteer crew of Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat were launched to a report of divers in difficulty off St John’s Point near the lighthouse.
Within six minutes of being paged by Malin Head Coast Guard, the Bundoran lifeboat William Henry Liddington was en route to the scene just after 4.30pm.
When it arrived, the man in his 50s had been taken to shore where CPR had commenced.
After the Sligo based Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 118 arrived, Bundoran Lifeboat transferred the man to the nearby White Strand area so that the helicopter could land.
CPR was continued on the Bundoran Lifeboat by one of the crew who is an advanced paramedic. They were assisted by another member of the volunteer crew who is an EMT, until the man could be transferred to a waiting ambulance and airlifted to Sligo General Hospital.
Helm of the Bundoran Lifeboat Daimon Fergus expressed thanks to the crews of the Killybegs Coast Guard, Rescue 118 and to the people at the scene for their assistance.
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