Cause of death still pending for diver recovered from Pass

The body of an experienced diver was found May 4.

A cause of death hasn’t been determined for an experienced diver who was pulled out of the water below Deception Pass Bridge May 4.

The man was identified as Richard Moore, 67, of Renton.

Island County Coroner Robert Bishop said Moore had a vast amount of experience diving throughout his lifetime and was very familiar with Deception Pass underwater. He had been diving “several times a week every week,” the coroner said.

Moore was with a group of people from Renton who traveled to Whidbey Island to dive. They went into the water at North Beach in the morning.

About an hour and a half later, people in a boat unrelated to the divers found Moore’s body floating underneath the bridge and transported him to Cornet Bay. Despite lengthy CPR, Moore was eventually pronounced dead at the docks, Bishop said.

The cause and manner of death is pending test results to determine if an underlying health condition contributed to the tragedy, the coroner said.