DATELINE: 26 May, 2002

LOST DIVERS RESCUED BY SHETLAND COASTGUARD
Two divers spent several hours drifting at sea after becoming separated from their dive boat Scorcha in the Bluemull Sound, north of Shetland on Saturday 25 May.
The Shetland Coastguard were alerted after the men were reported overdue. They had entered the water at 2.15pm in a choppy sea with force 4-5 winds, and by 3.46pm there was still no sign of them, despite both divers carrying bright orange delayed SMBs. With a sea temperature of just 9 degrees centigrade, it was a race against time to locate them.
The Lerwick lifeboat was called out and several local fishing vessels joined in the search. The first diver was found by a fishing boat at 4.30pm, 2.5 miles north of the dive site. The second diver was located at 5.45pm by the Coastguard helicopter, 4 miles away from the dive site, and was transferred to hospital suffering from mild hypothermia.

---