Diver with bends rescued off Fire Island, Coast Guard says

Coast Guard members rescued a diver who showed signs of decompression sickness while in the water near Fire Island on Saturday afternoon, officials said.

The diver, a 59-year-old man, was 20 miles southeast of Fire Island when a crew member aboard the fishing vessel the Tempest radioed for help around 1:15 p.m. that the victim had surfaced with symptoms of the bends 15 minutes after he had submerged, officials said.

A boat crew deployed from Station Fire Island aboard a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat along with an EMT from Suffolk County, officials said.

The crew rescued the diver about 2:15 p.m. and took him to Station Fire Island where EMS were waiting, officials said.

The diver was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow. He was placed in a hyperbaric chamber and was listed in stable condition by Saturday evening, officials said.