NORTH SHORE — A man died while scuba diving with his wife at Cane Bay in St. Croix on Sunday.
Paul Evans, 64, of Florida, was positively identified as the drowning victim, the Virgin Islands Police Department said. He died a day before his 65th birthday.
Evans and his wife were diving for the second time that afternoon about 20 feet past the buoy when they noticed sharks in the water and surfaced.
Evans descended again alone after his wife experienced equipment problems, and he did not notice her attempts to get his attention, VIPD spokeswoman Kishma Chichester said.
Each were experience divers, the wife later told police, according to Chichester.
After calling for help, the woman said she was pulled to shore, where she began asking for help, the police spokeswoman said.
Shortly after 6 p.m. the owners of Sweet Bottom Dive Center called four divers to search for the missing man, police said.
The group paired off and began searching east of the buoy at depths of 100-150 feet below sea level, according to police.
One of the divers, Sgt. Frankie Ortiz of the VIPD, said Evans’s body was found at an approximate depth of 175 feet.
After bringing Evans to the surface, diver Lawrence Katz made contact with a nearby boat owner and asked to borrow her dinghy, police said.
The group then returned to shore, according to the VIPD.
Police were dispatched to Cane Bay by the VITEMA 911 Emergency Call Center at 7:16 p.m.
Fire and Rescue units were already present, and an Emergency Medical Technician found no signs of life at 7:20 p.m. A technician from the Forensic Unit processed the scene, and detectives with the Criminal Investigation Bureau and Justice Department employees were also on site.
An unresponsive Evans was then transported to Juan F. Luis Hospital, police said.
The incident marks at least the second time a person has died while scuba diving in the U.S. Virgin Islands this year.
In late-May, a 16-year-old experienced a medical issue and became unresponsive while participating in a beginners diving class near Buck Island south of St. Thomas, police said at the time.
This case is currently under active investigation by the Criminal Investigation Bureau. Anyone with
information can call 911 or the CIB Tip Line at 340-778-4850