Ryan Proulx, 31, was last seen near the Bimini Barge Wreck on Friday, a diving location roughly 1.5 miles west of Bimini Inlet, according to the Coast Guard. After aircraft crews searched over 673 square miles for Proulx, the Coast Guard suspended the search on Sunday afternoon.

Authorities call off search for missing American free diver in Bahamas

Ryan Proulx was last seen diving near the Bimini Barge Wreck.

June 19, 2023, 12:34 PM
ABC News
The United States Coast Guard and Royal Bahamas Defense Force called off its search on Sunday for an American free diver who went missing off the coast of Bimini, Bahamas.

Ryan Proulx, 31, was last seen near the Bimini Barge Wreck on Friday, a diving location roughly 1.5 miles west of Bimini Inlet, according to the Coast Guard.

After aircraft crews searched over 673 square miles for Proulx, the Coast Guard suspended the search on Sunday afternoon.

PHOTO: Ryan Proulx, a former East Hartford Police Department officer, went missing while free diving in the Bahamas.

Ryan Proulx, a former East Hartford Police Department officer, went missing while free diving in the Bahamas.
East Hartford Police Department

“We offer our deepest condolences to the Proulx family,” Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Matt Spado said in a statement on Twitter. “The decision to suspend the active search efforts pending further development is one we never take lightly.”

Proulx traveled from Palm Beach, Florida, to the Bahamas last Thursday with a group including his wife, according to his friend Steve Diffenbacher, who spoke with ABC affiliate WBPF. An experienced diver and licensed captain, Proulx would frequently make the trip down the East Coast for clients who wanted to transport their boats, according to Diffenbacher.

According to the Coast Guard, Proulx was last seen wearing a green top and red fins while free diving at the Bimini barge wreck. Located nearly 75 feet under the surface with strong currents, the wrecked barge-turned-artificial reef attracts large game fish, which cluster near the shipwreck and a nearby drop-off, according to Scuba Schools International.

PHOTO: Sailboat anchored in Bimini, Bahamas.

Sailboat anchored in Bimini, Bahamas.
Stock Photo/Getty Images

Proulx previously served as a police officer with the East Hartford Police and Monroe Police Departments, according to a release from the East Hartford Police Department. A representative for the East Hartford Police Department could not be reached for comment about Proulx’s disappearance.

Proulx’s family declined to make a public statement about the search.

Missing Diver in the Bahamas Bimini

RCC Miami will be searching this morning June 18, 2023 for missing diver, Ryan Proulx. They will be searching the area one and one half miles west of Bimini Inlet and near the Bimini Barge Wreck.

Ryan Proulx, is a 32-year-old male, 5’8” last seen wearing a dark forest green shirt with hood, dark trucks, red fins, orange snorkel, blue weight belt with red line, his last known location was 1.5NM W of the Bimini Inlet, BS. Near the Bimini Barge Wreck, GPS position 25 41.9n 079 19.0w.

He was last spotted June 16, 2023, Friday afternoon around 5pm drifting ne towards isaacs and hens and chickens.

Please keep a sharp lookout and assist if possible.