Man Dies While Scuba Diving

Sun., Aug. 15, 1999

A 50-year-old man died Saturday afternoon while scuba diving with his son, the Pierce County Sheriff’s office said.

The two were diving near Fox Island, in Pierce County. A preliminary investigation indicated the man may have gone too deep and his equipment may have failed, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said. The sheriff’s department is continuing to investigate.

The man’s 23-year-old son dove down 120 feet to reach his father. The son retrieved his father’s body and quickly swam to the surface. Troyer said the son was taken to a hospital to be treated for the bends, a condition in which nitrogen bubbles form in the blood stream during rapid ascents. His condition was not available Saturday night.

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