Diver lost at Grotto - Saipan

[DandyDon]

The word grotto is define as a small picturesque cave, but this one is described as a collapsed limestone cavern with a pool of cobalt-blue seawater filled by three underwater passageways. Some photos show it to be a partially filled cavern.

Diver missing at Grotto - Saipan News, Headlines, Events, Ads | Saipan Tribune

The Department of Fire and Emergency and Management Services has suspended the search for a 65-year-old man who went diving and had gone missing at the Grotto yesterday.

DFEMS identified the missing person as John J. Jones, a Caucasian male. The victim was last seen outside the Grotto and was with three other dive companions.

According to his companions, the victim motioned he was running low on air, showed no signs of distress, and was still okay, DFEMS said on a social media posting.

While entering back into the Grotto, the companions turned around and noticed the victim was no longer with them. The companions returned to the surface, notified the Grotto security to call for emergency help, changed out their tanks, and went back into the Grotto to search for their companions until the Department of Public Safety arrived.

Rescue operations ceased due to low light visibility and will continue again this morning, DFEMS noted.

DFEMS said that it received a call from DPS 911 about an overdue diver at the Grotto at 10:30am yesterday.

At 10:30am Rescue-1 and Forestry-1 from the Susupe Fire Station, Medic-2 from the Garapan Fire Station were dispatched and the Search and Rescue Unit was activated. DFEMS units arrived on scene at 10:51am.

DFEMS Unit conducted a cliffline search while SARU dove inside Grotto and DPS Boating Safety and Department of Land and Natural Resources Fish and Wildlife conducted dive search outside the Grotto in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy helicopter from HC-25 out of Guam.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Unfortunate. The news report leaves a lot of natural questions unanswered.

 

[DandyDon]

Identity released but no more information other than that: FAA employee missing in Saipan diving incident

 

[Zef]

I dove there in 2008. I recall it definitely as a cavern with a fairly rough entry from a large rock formation near the center of the grotto. Lots of surge crashing against the rock made it a bit daunting to get in and out of the water. We swam through the short length but rather wide and high tunnel opening that linked the grotto to open water....the locals we dove with warned us that there is strong surface current and quite a few divers unfamiliar with the area had surfaced either due to low air or to get a visual bearing and found themself quickly swept out to sea. I only had 1 day to dive and was with folks who lived on the island and dived everyday...I don't recall other cave or cavern entrances/exits but that that was probably due to me being in follow the leader mode during the dive.

I hope the diver in question is still alive and is rescued, there is a lot of open ocean with little land mass on that part of the globe.

-Z