Kitsap diving mishap claims Tulalip man’s life

Published 1:30 am Saturday, January 5, 2019

KINGSTON — A 35-year-old Tulalip man died Saturday morning while diving in Puget Sound off the Kitsap Peninsula, authorities said.

Firefighters and paramedics were called out to Jefferson Point, south of Kingston, at 10 a.m. for reports of CPR in progress.

Others aboard the dive boat told authorities that they had been training ahead of the coming shellfish harvest season, North Kitsap Fire & Rescue reported. The man became entangled in gear below the surface and lost his mask.

His companions brought him to the surface after an estimated five minutes, but couldn’t get him back on the boat.

They fashioned a harness to keep him in place to perform CPR in the water and “worked extraordinarily hard to rescue him under very difficult circumstances,” according to a news release.

A fire-rescue boat launched from the Port of Kingston Marina and reached the divers within 11 minutes of dispatch, authorities said. Emergency personnel continued first aid as they sped back to the marina, but were unable to revive him.

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.