HUDSON, Fla. -- The Coast Guard rescued a diver Thursday who had been missing for nearly a day.
Teams searched 1,700 nautical miles after the two divers, ages 34 and 57, were reported missing from their boat Wednesday 30 miles west of Hudson. The Coast Guard was dispatched around 4 p.m.
Their boat captain reported last seeing the two men near the RJ Thompson wreck and said the men never resurfaced.
PHOTOS: Coast Guard rescues missing divers
The 34-year-old man was found and rescued around 8:22 p.m. Wednesday southeast of the dive site. He was checked out at Air Station Clearwater and had no injuries.
The 57-year-old diver, however, wasn't rescued until 11:15 a.m. Thursday by the FWC vessel Gulf Sentry. The crew spotted the man in the water waving for help. They helped him on the boat, gave him water, and took him back to land.
Amazingly, after a night in the water, he had no serious injuries.
"Kind of like a needle in the haystack," Lt. George Wells from the commanding boat said.
It turns out the divers got separated from the boat and one diver was a stronger swimmer than the other, causing the divers to get separated from one another.
The coast guard is still not sure how the divers and boat got separated, but no criminal charges are expected.
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