Body recovered from sea cave near Channel Islands may be diver missing since 2020

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau has recovered the body of a diver near Santa Cruz Island who is believed to be a man who went missing during a 2020 dive trip.

The deceased diver was discovered near the largest of the Channel Islands on Nov. 5 near Painted Cave Preserve and the location corresponds to the 2020 investigation into missing diver Ryder Sturt, 34, of Port Hueneme, according to the Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau.

Coroner’s detectives will do rapid DNA testing to confirm the identity, agency spokeswoman Raquel Zick said Monday. She said the decedent’s name would be shared when it is confirmed and next of kin are notified.

Two recreational divers discovered the body in an underwater cave system on Nov. 5 and notified the Sheriff’s Office, Zick said.

Divers from the county’s Underwater Search and Rescue team and other agencies, including the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, recovered the remains of a diver from an underwater cave near Seal Cove on Friday, she said.

Sturt went missing while tank diving for lobster on Nov. 29, 2020.

Sturt was diving with a partner on that day and when he failed to surface, the dive partner radioed for help.

The U.S. Coast Guard and dive teams from Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties searched the area for several days.

When ocean conditions got rough, Santa Barbara County’s Sheriff’s Office continued the search for several more days from the air with a helicopter.

This story was originally published November 14, 2022 at 5:45 PM.