North Carolina Diver Rescued

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Adrift 24 miles off North Carolina's coast on August 14, 54-year-old scuba charter captain and owner of Wetu Scuba in Carolina Beach Steve Oatman survived his two-and- a-half-hour ordeal. He had been diving alone, although his wife and others were on his boat.

Oatman, a former director of the United States Army Electronic Warfare School, was wearing a wetsuit and carrying a surface marker and a personal locator beacon, east of Bald Head Island.

His wife became concerned when he never resurfaced from a dive to 100 feet. A Coast Guard official said, "He was diving alone and only supposed to dive for an hour, but 30 minutes after his resurfacing time had passed, his wife called the [Coast Guard]." Air and boat crews were launched to find Oatman, who was spotted from the air around 2:00 p.m. "waving his arms," officials said. A boat was directed to the location to pick him up....

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