Maine diver dies while cleaning yacht hull

ROCKLAND — An autopsy is scheduled to determine the cause of death of a Maine scuba diver who failed to surface while cleaning the hull of a luxury yacht in Rockland.

Marine Patrol Sgt. Marlowe Sonksen said 71-year-old James Stormes, an independent diver from South Bristol, entered the water at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday to clean the hull of the 131-foot yacht from the Cayman Islands that was berthed in Rockland Harbor.

The yacht crew called police at about noon when they realized that Stormes had failed to resurface. A Maine State Police diver found his body at about 3 p.m. in 20 feet of water.

Sonksen said the cause of death isn’t immediately known.

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