KEY WEST: A missing diver from Marathon was rescued about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday after being in the water for about five hours, reports say.

Andrew Schlieper, 37, was diving off a private boat about 3:30 p.m. four miles off Key West while the boater stayed aboard, said Matthew Meinhold, spokesman for the Key West Coast Guard. But the anchor dragged and the boater subsequently couldn't find Schlieper, Meinhold said. Two helicopters, one from the Navy, a state Fish and Wildlife boat and two Coast Guard boats began searching for him around 5:30 p.m., reports say.

The Navy helicopter found Schlieper, apparently in good condition, about 8:30 p.m. a mile off Key West, Meinhold said.

"That's like finding a needle in a haystack out there," NAS Key West spokesman Jim Brooks said Tuesday night.