A Lower Mainland man went missing Saturday while diving with a partner in the waters off Whytecliff Park.
The diver is believed to have drowned after searches by the Canadian Coast Guard and Vancouver Police Department Marine Squad failed to produce a trace of the man.
"We just want to reiterate how important it is to dive in pairs," said West Vancouver police spokeswoman Const. Lisa Schmidtke.
The missing man, who is in his 60s and an experienced diver, became separated from his diving partner shortly before 5 p.m. on Saturday. The first diver waited for the missing man to surface before swimming to shore and contacting the coast guard.
A nearly four-hour search conducted that evening by the coast guard and police boats yielded no sign of the diver.
The comprehensive search was possible because the man followed all the proper safety steps, according to Schmidtke.
After another search on Sunday, which included diving colleagues of the missing man, the coroner was informed that the diver probably drowned, according to Schmidtke.
The search concluded at midday on Sunday.
