Scuba diver finds homemade bomb

"A recreational diver taking a leisurely afternoon scuba trip around Langley's underwater reef two weeks ago found something that piqued not only the interest of local law enforcement, but a Navy bomb squad as well.According to Langley Police Chief Bob Herzberg, the diver came across a crude, homemade bomb as he explored the man-made reef in the Langley Small Boat Harbor. The reef is actually a floating tire breakwater that sank in the early 1980s.The diver, who had previous Navy explosive ordnance experience, left the bomb underwater and called the police shortly after his discovery, and asked them to investigate the softball-sized device. Divers from NAS Whidbey's Emergency Ordnance Disposal team dove for the object near dusk the following day, but were unable to find the bomb. Enlisting the help of the diver who found the device, the EOD squad came back on Feb. 2 and found and recovered the bomb.NAS Whidbey public affairs officer Sara McGruder said the device consisted of two Tylenol pain reliever bottles filled with black powder. The bottles were taped together and had a fuse.Had the bomb exploded it might have delivered a concussion as large as that produced by a stick of dynamite, Chief Herzberg said. But whoever threw the bomb in the water was unable to keep the fuse lit, McGruder said. On the reef from anywhere between two weeks and several months, the bomb was relatively harmless when divers found it. Detonated on dry land, however, the device could have done serious damage.It could've blown your hand off, McGruder said.McGruder speculated that the device might have been intended to kill fish. She said the Navy EOD team destroyed the device at NAS Whidbey.The tire reef is a popular dive site among local divers. It was originally built as a breakwater, but it sank in high seas shortly after its construction."

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