Oklahoma couple found 36 hours after disappearing while diving in Gulf of Mexico

EDMOND, Okla. (KFOR) — An Oklahoma couple disappeared Wednesday morning while diving off the coast of Texas. After 36 hours of searching, authorities were ready to give up.

Then a miracle happened.

Nathan and Kim Maker of Edmond, Oklahoma, are frequent divers, Nathan’s uncle, Charles Owen, told Nexstar’s KFOR. The couple has always taken precautions.

The Makers were diving with a group in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday morning when they disappeared.

“A storm came in and the divers were all up and getting ready to get back on the boat,” Owen explained. “As the 16 came in, the swell came in and they were all swamped.”

Nathan and Kim inflated their safety gear to surface, but the storm was too bad and they were gone.

According to Owen, it was around 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening when the Coast Guard called and said the couple had disappeared earlier that morning.

From there, the search continued, with rescue teams searching a vast 1,600-square-mile (4,200-square-kilometer) area of ​​the Gulf.

About 36 hours later, Owen was told that authorities had nearly called off their search after examining the entire network.

“We had almost given up hope,” Owen said.

Then a miracle happened: a plane that Owen said last flew off the grid late Thursday night saw something.

“Nathan and Kim had their dive lights with them and were pointing an SOS signal to the bottom of the plane,” Owen said.

New video footage from the Coast Guard aircraft spotted two figures about 20 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico early Friday morning. Those figures were Nathan and Kim Maker.

The plane saw them on a final pass. Then the boats came to help.

“It’s a miracle,” Owen said.

He told KFOR that Kim had an infection and Nathan was nearly in a diabetic coma when they found him. Both were severely dehydrated and had sustained multiple jellyfish stings. The family hopes Kim and Nathan can return home soon.

“We thank everyone for their concern and prayers,” Owen said. “This miracle was performed by the Coast Guard at God’s direction.”