A Woman Is Missing at the Vandenberg Wreck Off Key West Police Said
A woman went missing while diving at the Vandenberg wreck off Key West. Search and rescue operations are underway but the prognosis isnt good.
The USS Vandenberg is a deliberately sunk ship thats now one of the largest artificial reefs in the world. Its a popular dive site but also a dangerous one. The wreck sits in about 140 feet of water and the interior is a maze of corridors and compartments.
Keys News reported that the Coast Guard was called after the womans dive group surfaced without her.
The details are still emerging but penetration dives into wrecks carry inherent risks. Silt can reduce visibility to zero. Divers can become disoriented. Equipment failures at depth are much more serious than at the surface.
Safety precautions matter whether youre traveling or diving in dangerous conditions.
The Vandenberg attracts divers from around the world specifically because of its size and the variety of marine life that has colonized it. But that same appeal means people sometimes push beyond their training or experience level.
Search teams are using both divers and underwater cameras to scan the wreck. The depth makes operations challenging and limits how long rescue divers can stay down safely.
Families of missing divers often hold out hope that somehow their loved one found an air pocket or was picked up by a passing boat. In reality those outcomes are vanishingly rare.
Search ongoing 2021
