Diver Dies When Harbor Crane Falls

David William Rayment, a commercial diver who once spent hours searching for victims of a capsized boat, was a modest hero who would risk his life for others, his friends said.

But like those Rayment worked feverishly to save in July 1993, there was nothing anyone could do for him.

Rayment died Wednesday when his crane toppled into Ganges Harbor on Saltsprint Island, one of the Gulf Islands chain between Vancouver Island and the mainland.

A Royal Canadian Mounted Police dive team worked to recover his body, which was pinned against the broken wharf by the huge crane.

“It’s ironic he was killed in the same situation, bring trapped under water,” said Doug Rajala, Rayment’s best friend.

Rayment, a tradesman and commercial diver who lived in Ganges, was among seven men who worked in vain to save six people trapped beneath a capsized boat in July 1993.

He was awarded the Medal of Bravery, Canada’s third highest citation. His friends say it wasn’t something he talked a lot about.