FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 25, 2012
DNR releases name of diver presumed dead while diving off Bainbridge Island
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today released the name of the diver who is lost and presumed dead while diving in the waters southwest of Restoration Point on Bainbridge Island.
David D. Scheinost, 24, from Puyallup, was a geoduck compliance diver with DNR’s Aquatic Resources Division. He was hired on February 1 of this year and graduated in 2010 from the Divers Institute of Technology in Seattle.
“David’s family and friends, as well as his fellow divers, are in our thoughts and prayers as we come to terms with the loss of such a young and vibrant life,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark. “As a son, cousin, nephew, coworker and friend, David will not be forgotten.”
On Tuesday, July 24, Scheinost was part of a DNR dive team that was sampling for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) on the Restoration Point geoduck tract, an area of wildstock geoduck fishery managed by DNR.
The incident occurred on the afternoon of July 24. Search and rescue efforts have resumed this morning and are being conducted by the Bainbridge Island Police Department and supported by the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, Kitsap County Sheriff’s office, and DNR law enforcement.
Media Contact: Toni Droscher, Aquatic Resources Program Communications Manager, 360-902-1523 (office); 360-584-7760 (mobile); toni.droscher@dnr.wa.gov
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