Search in Lake Murray for diver who hasn’t been seen in a day, SC officials say
A search for a missing diver is underway in Lake Murray, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said Thursday.
The diver, who has not been publicly identified, was reported missing Wednesday at about 1 p.m., SCDNR officials told The State.
The diver was last seen near the hydroelectric intake towers near the dam in Lake Murray, according to SCDNR.
It was confirmed the diver is a man who was on a boat with other divers in an area of the lake where the water is estimated to be 120 feet deep, SCDNR spokesman Stephen Fastenau told The State.
The SCDNR dive team began searching the area Wednesday and they, along with investigators, were back on Thursday searching for the missing man, officials said.
Officials did not say if the search is still considered a rescue, or if it’s a recovery mission at this point as the diver could be a drowning victim.
The temperature in the area, out of the water, when the diver was reported missing was 54 degrees, according to Weather Underground.
Both the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and Newberry County Rescue are assisting in the search. SLED provided a remotely operated vehicle to help in the search.
This was not the first search for a missing person in Lake Murray this year.
In early August, the body of a missing boater from Edgefield was recovered in the lake after more than a week of searching, according to DNR.
About two weeks prior to that, the body of a 72-year-old Saluda man was recovered July 20, the day after he fell off a boat and disappeared in Lake Murray. The body was found in the area of the lake near Little River Landing, the Saluda County Coroner’s Office said.
In June, the DNR said it recovered the body of a missing boater near the Lake Murray dam. Officials said the death was an accidental drowning, WPDE reported.
In April, the DNR dive team recovered the body of a male boater after he fell overboard around Buffalo Creek near the Grant Williams Estates, the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office said. The man was a Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, resident who was visiting Lake Murray with his wife, according to DNR.
In late 2021, the body of another man who went missing on Lake Murray was recovered after several days.
On Oct. 26, a 36-year-old man disappeared after he got on his boat at a Lake Murray marina off U.S. 378 about 3 a.m., law enforcement officers told The State. The boat was found near Spence’s Point, but it wasn’t until Nov. 6 that his body was recovered. The Lexington County Coroner’s Office said no foul play was suspected.
