2025 DIVE SEASON OFF TO A BAD START. TWO DIVERS DIE IN THE ST LAWRENCE RIVER
TWO DIVERS DIE IN TWO DIFFERENT ST LAWRENCE RIVER INCIDENTS THIS MONTH
PHOTO OF HASLIP - MSN NEWS
On Friday, CTV News reporter Ted Raymond reported that Ontario Provincial Police say the body of a scuba diver who went missing in the St. Lawrence River west of Cornwall, Ont. has been recovered.
“The diver was among a group of four who were diving near Lock 21 on the Long Sault Parkway around 7:45 p.m. Wednesday," Raymond reported. "Only three divers resurfaced that evening.”
The body was found Thursday morning. Police have not yet released the diver’s identity.
In a separate incident, another man died on April 13 after going into distress while shore diving in the St. Lawrence River at Kingston, according to the OPP. His body was found the next day.
Well-known dive instructor Chris Haslip, 47, died after surfacing from an afternoon wreck dive in Portsmouth Harbour (Kingston, Ontario).
According to the online dive news site Divernet, reporter Steve Weinman wrote: “The fatal incident happened in the afternoon. Haslip and an older buddy had been diving at a site they often visited — the wreck of a barge close to where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River.”
Apparently, both divers surfaced close to shore, but Haslip slipped back underwater in distress. His buddy was picked up by a boat, but Haslip’s body was not found until the following morning.
Chris Haslip and his father Daniel learned to dive together in 1996 and, nine years later, opened a dive shop, Explorer Diving. Haslip Sr. told the Kingston Whig-Standard that he believes his son’s death was related to his Type 1 diabetes.
“That’s what I think did him in," he said. "He had a sugar low underwater, I believe. The guy that was diving with him, who is also a dive master — very experienced, a military buddy of mine from the old days — tried everything he could to save him, but he had a heart attack from the stress of it all.”
Chris had also lost his left leg as a result of illness and wore a prosthetic, but his father said this had never limited his ability to dive or contributed to his death.
Online, Kingston-area divers have been posting tributes to Haslip.
“We lost a legend in the dive community off Kingston this weekend. He was the best dive buddy and friend. I am so glad I got to call him my dive buddy, but most of all, my friend. He was so passionate about diving in Lake Ontario and the things we could find on the lake bottom. You will be surely missed, my friend. Dive on and keep the bubbles going. R.I.P Chris Haslip,” posted diver Mike Machin.
PROBABLE BARGE RUBBLE IN KINGSTON HARBOUR BY CHRIS. HASLIP The wreck of the barge "America" in Kingston Harbour, Ontario, Canada, is a popular dive site. It is a 92-foot barge that flipped and sunk in 65-90 feet of water. Divers follow an old anchor chain from a mooring point to the wreck.The wreck itself is relatively small and can be explored in one dive, with highlights including twin props, a smaller barge next to the stern, and the interior.
Comments