Diver dies in boat accident on Lake Superior

FILE – A scuba diving flag.

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan (WOOD) – A man died while diving in Lake Superior on Thursday, authorities said.

It occurred around 1 p.m. in Isle Royale National Park, an island off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the National Park Service said in a press release.

The diver was identified as 70-year-old John Nousaine of Superior, Wisconsin, the National Park Service said. His family has been notified.

Nousaine had been diving to the wreck of the Emperor, a 52-foot-long steel bulk carrier that sank in 1947. According to the National Park Service, he was diving to the stern of the wreck, an area 100 to 150 feet deep, when the accident occurred.

Other recreational divers reported the accident immediately. The investigation is ongoing.

Diver Alarm Networka diving safety organization, reports an average of 82 recreational diving deaths each year that either occurred in the United States and Canada or involved a citizen of those two countries. In Michigan, there were 17 recreational diving deaths between 2008 and 2018, according to DAN.