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Diver rescued by Coast Guard after 12 hours adrift at sea

Published: 27 Apr. 2026, 18:45

A scuba diver watches oceanic mantas at the Manta Ridge dive site in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, on March 7. The photo is not related to the article. [AP/YONHAP]

A diver who went missing during a leisure dive off the coast of Uljin County, North Gyeongsang, was rescued after drifting at sea for about 12 hours, the Coast Guard said Monday.

The diver went missing at around 10:33 a.m. on Saturday while participating in underwater activities with six other people near the waters off Jukbyeon Port in Uljin County, according to the Uljin Coast Guard on Monday.

After receiving a report from the group that “the diver has not surfaced,” the Coast Guard deployed patrol vessels and rescue teams to the scene and launched a search operation.

The diver was found at around 10:46 p.m. the same day, about 12 hours after going missing, by a cement carrier passing near Imwon Port in Samcheok, Gangwon.

The vessel reported to the Coast Guard it had spotted what was believed to be the missing person floating at sea and an immediate response was launched. Authorities were dispatched and rescued the diver.

The diver was “separated from the group due to currents," according to reports and was suffering from hypothermia at the time of rescue but later was reported to be in stable condition.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]