Coast Guard suspends search for missing free diver off coast of Bimini

An American man went missing while free diving near a shipwreck off the coast of the Bahamas, officials said. The U.S. Coast Guard and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force scoured the ocean for several hours looking for Ryan Proulx, a former Connecticut police officer, before suspending the search over the weekend.

"We offer our deepest condolences to the Proulx family," Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Matt Spado said in a statement Monday. "The decision to suspend the active search efforts pending further development is one we never take lightly."

Proulx was last seen Friday free diving near Bimini Barge Wreck a mile and a half west of Bimini Inlet, according to the Coast Guard. CBS News Miami reported he was diving around 4 p.m. and failed to surface, according to his family.

Coast Guard aircraft crews spent six-and-a-half hours searching over 673 square miles for Proulx before suspending search efforts Sunday, according to the agency.

In Connecticut, Proulx was an officer for the East Hartford Police Department from 2017 to 2021, CBS affiliate WFSB-TV reported.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Ryan and the Proulx family," the department said in a Facebook post.

Proulx's family and friends are trying to raise money to send a volunteer dive team from the area to search for him, WFSB-TV reported.

In:
• Bahamas
• United States Coast Guard

Alex Sundby

Alex Sundby is a senior editor for CBSNews.com

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