Long Beach firefighters identify missing diver found dead

Authorities on Monday publicly identified a 64-year-old recreational diver who was found dead off the coast of Huntington Beach.

Theodore Watler of Long Beach was reported missing about 10:30 a.m. Sunday after he became separated from his group, who had hired a commercial vessel to take them to oil platform Elly, according to the Long Beach Fire Department

The U.S. Coast Guard assisted local agencies including the LBFD, which responded to the area where Watler went missing.

A remote operated vehicle, or ROV, “was used to locate the male diver’s body,” the LBFD tweeted. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the missing diver.”

The Orange County Register reported Watler’s body was found at a depth of about 250 feet near platform Elly about 3 p.m. Sunday.

It was not immediately known how Watler became separated from his group, nor exactly what caused his death.