Mystery body in wetsuit is washed up on loch shore

Published on Wednesday 14 October 2009 22:19

POLICE launched a major investigation yesterday after a man's body was found dressed in a wetsuit on the shore of a Skye loch.

Police were called at around 3:45pm on Tuesday and informed about the body at Camasunary on Loch Slapin.

A spokesman for Northern Constabulary said: "The body has been recovered and police inquiries are ongoing to identify the man."

A post-mortem examination is expected to be carried out today to establish the cause of death. It is believed dental records are also being used in an effort to identify the body.

The force has not confirmed the body is that of a diver who went missing off Ardnamurchan on 2 October in "horrific" conditions. The 65-year-old local man, who was not named at the time, was reported missing shortly before 1pm.

His wife raised the alarm after he failed to return home from an area around Ardnamurchan Point, where he had been spear-fishing and snorkelling.

His orange float and spear gun were later found on the north side of Mull in Sanna Bay.

A search involving police, Tobermory lifeboat, coastguard helicopter and ground-based teams, along with other vessels in the area, was later called off with the man not being found.

A spokesman for Clyde Coastguard said the weather was fine when the diver set off but later became "pretty horrific", with winds of force six or seven and deteriorating visibility.

He said the missing man was a cautious and careful diver with 40 years of experience, who had been wearing a wet suit, fins and weight belt at the time.

The waters around Argyll are popular with divers because of the variety of shipwrecks and sealife there. Last month coastguards warned of the number of older divers getting into difficulties around Mull, after a 75-year-old suffered the bends following two deep dives in a day.

This followed three deaths of divers within the space of a week in May.

Police say they do not believe there is any connection between the body discovered in Skye and Clifford Wannop, who disappeared from the Kinloch area of the island on 2 October.

Mr Wannop was reported missing when he failed to return from a short walk near Kinloch Lodge Hotel in Sleat. Three mountain rescue teams, two helicopters, search dogs, lifeboat crews and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency searched for the 83-year-old without success.

Police also issued posters around Skye and appealed for help from the public during attempts to trace Mr Wannop , described by his family as very fit.