Divers recover Canadian's body
Members of the Flathead County Dive Team load gear Thursday morning before going out on Whitefish Lake to search for the body of Seamus Daley, a Canadian man who drowned April 7 after the canoe in which he was riding tipped. His body was recovered during the first dive. Craig Moore /Daily Inter Lake
Seamus Daley, 26, was presumed drowned after his canoe capsized April 7
On Thursday morning, divers quickly recovered the body of a man who presumably drowned April 7 in Whitefish Lake.
Guided by sonar imaging so detailed it showed where the man's body disrupted the lake bottom, divers were able to go immediately to where Seamus Daley had come to rest.
The high-tech equipment came from a Boise, Idaho, couple who was hired by Daley's family. The recovery was effected by members of the Flathead County Dive Team.
On their first dive, they were able to retrieve Daley's body, respectfully shrouding it in a yellow bag before they came to the surface.
Daley, 26, was with a group of friends from Lethbridge, Alberta, who traveled to Whitefish for a bachelor party. He and another man were in a canoe that tipped about 100 yards from shore. The other man was rescued by his friends, who were unable to save Daley. Deputy coroner Dave Leib said alcohol was a factor in the accident and none of the men was wearing a life jacket.
On Thursday, a young man identified as Jeff Parker, the groom-to-be, watched from the shoreline, supported by his father, as the recovery was made. After the Sheriff's Office boat docked, Parker bent over and identified the victim as his friend who had come to celebrate his wedding with him. And then he walked away.
Divers had been trying to recover Daley's body since April 7, going to their depth limit of 130 feet. They were always close; sonar Thursday located him just north of where divers had made passes that Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Thursday's effort was flawless. A blue marker on the lake's surface designated the area to search as indicated by sonar images from Gene and Sandy Ralston's equipment from Idaho.
"Their equipment helped us a lot. We have similar equipment, but it's not as sensitive as theirs," said sheriff's deputy Jordan White, commander of the dive team.
On their first dive Thursday, Richard Schuster and Robert Hanson located Daley. They took pictures, secured Daley's body and raised him from the lake bottom. Then, divers Dusty Dusterhoff and Wendy Stefoniak assisted in bringing Daley to the surface of the 37-degree water.
White and diver Mike Chapin have been on the lake every day since the accident, White said. He estimates that divers put in 40 hours in their volunteer effort.
"I'm overwhelmed with appreciation for the dedication of my divers and their families," White said.
Dives at depths of 130 feet are extremely perilous, he said.
White had been within 20 feet of Daley, he said. Daley's body slid down an underwater cliff, just below the area where divers had searched, White said.
He was relieved Thursday that the search was successful and Daley's body could be returned to his family.
"Now the family has the opportunity to move forward with the grieving process," White said.
In a newspaper story by Kristen Harding of the Lethbridge Herald, Daley's father, Philip, expressed his feelings.
He said the days spent waiting and wondering whether divers would recover his son's body were indescribable.
"You just can't explain it," he told Harding.
"It's very sad news, but very good news," he said of Thursday's recovery. "We didn't want to leave him out there. Now we can give him a proper burial."
Seamus Daley is survived by his widow in Lethbridge.
Reporter Chery Sabol may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at csabol@dailyinterlake.com.