BIMINI, The Bahamas — The Coast Guard suspended its search on Sunday for a South Florida free diver who went missing in the Bahamas.
Ryan Proulx was last seen free diving on Friday near the Bimini Barge Wreck, about 1.5 miles west of Bimini Inlet, the Coast Guard wrote on Twitter. Proulx is a 31-year-old former police officer who was working as a boat captain in South Florida, WPTV reports.
Proulx was wearing a green shirt and red dive fins.
On Sunday, the Coast Guard wrote that crews, along with the Royal Bahamas Defense Force, had suspended their search for the diver. Aircraft crews had searched more than 673 square miles for six and a half hours.
“We offer our deepest condolences to the Proulx family,” Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Matt Spado said. “The decision to suspend the active search efforts pending further development is one we never take lightly.”
"Thank you for your efforts in attempting to locate my brother," Nicole Proulx replied in a tweet.
Proulx was with eight others, including his wife, when he departed from a Palm Beach County marina on Thursday, according to WPTV.
His friend, Steve Diffenbacher, told the news outlet that Proulx is an experienced diver and fishing charter captain.
"Please bring Ryan home safely he’s loved by so many," Diffenbacher wrote Saturday on Twitter.
