Four divers have been rescued after they went missing off the coast of Cape Fear during a pleasure craft trip.
The group of four men, who have not been named, set off on the pleasure craft Big Bill’s on Sunday morning to go diving around 63 miles east of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, according to the US Coast Guard (USCG).
When they failed to resurface sometime later, the alarm was raised and a desperate search was launched to find them.
At around midday, the Coast Guard said that watchstanders at its North Carolina sector received a notification from the Coast Guard sector in Charleston reporting the missing divers.
The Coast Guard began searching for the missing group around 50 miles south of Cape Fear, North Carolina, with crews continuing to search throughout the night.
Multiple crafts were deployed to help in the search and rescue effort including a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew, an HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew, an HC-130 aircraft crew, a 47-foot motor lifeboat crew, and two 87-foot patrol boats.
The Coast Guard said on Sunday night that the current sea state was about two to three feet with 10-knot winds.
Thankfully, the search ended with positive news as the USCG Mid-Atlantic announced that the four men had been “found and rescued” from the ocean.
Divers embrace loved ones after being reunited back on dry land— (USCG)
“The @USCG & @USNavy found and rescued the 4 missing male divers approx. 46 miles southeast of Cape Fear River, North Carolina,” the agency tweeted.
Heartwarming photos captured the moments the divers were reunited with their loved ones back on dry land.
In one of the photos, shared by the USCG, a diver was seen hugging a small child.
