News: Scuba Diver Dies Diving Off Long Island
(Long Island, N.Y.) An avid scuba diver surfaced unconscious during a dive off Long Island’s Moriches on Saturday morning. The location of the dive was an estimated fourteen miles from shore in waters that were over a hundred feet deep. He was later pronounced dead at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip.
The diver was in his sixties, and was participating in a group excursion that was scheduled to explore the infamous Oregon Shipwreck. Reports stated that he worked in real estate and is survived by a wife. Some sources claimed that he surfaced roughly forty minutes into the dive.
Three Emergency Medical Technicians onboard the dive boat attempted to revive him. They performed CPR while meeting with US Coast Guard personnel. Both ships headed for shore where an ambulance was on standby. The dive boat was a forty-eight foot ship called Lochness, based in Freeport, and designed to accommodate over twenty divers.
Family and loved ones of the deceased claimed that he cherished the thrill of diving and exploring underwater hotspots. He was passionate about the ocean and enjoyed the history behind the sunken ships he encountered. According to reports, the wife of the deceased often feared for her husband’s safety.
The dive boat was scheduled to visit the Oregon Shipwreck, which is known as the largest shipwreck to occur off Long Island shores. The Oregon sunk early on the Sunday morning of March 14th, 1886. Its maiden voyage occurred less than three years prior, on October 7th, 1883.
The Oregon was an award-winning liner that broke records for its size and speed. Powered by two twin steamers, the Oregon was able to make transatlantic voyages in about a week, making it one of the speediest ships of its time. It was equipped with top-of-the-line amenities and was considered a luxury ship that carried over six hundred passengers.
The sinking occurred just southeast of Fire Island in waters that were roughly a hundred-and-thirty feet deep. The Oregon was headed to the New York City harbor and had departed from Liverpool, England roughly a week prior to its sinking. Though the voyage had been smooth, a collision occurred in the wee hours of its expected day of arrival.
A mysterious schooner ship with nine crew members struck the Oregon and later disappeared into the ocean. No remnants of the ship or crew were discovered, but some reports stated that masts were found seventeen miles from the Oregon’s final resting place.
The Oregon stayed afloat for eight hours after the collision, allowing enough time for three different ships to respond to its distress calls. Miraculously, all passengers were saved, and some reports even mentioned the rescuing of animals. An estimated million British pounds in cargo was lost along with all of the passengers’ baggage and hundreds of bags of mail. Today, the Oregon is an extraordinary fishing site, known for housing twenty-pound lobsters that enjoy the hiding space.
