Scuba divers rescued after 36 hours thanks to beacon spotted 15 miles off Texas coast

Two Oklahoma residents who went missing Wednesday while scuba diving off a Texas beach were rescued by the Coast Guard about 15 miles offshore, officials said Friday.

The divers were seen at the surface in Matagorda amid severe weather Wednesday afternoon and were no longer seen when conditions cleared, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a news release.

Helicopter and boat crews quickly began search operations to find the two. The team located the pair after seeing a flashing light in the water, the department said.

The search lasted more than 36 hours as officials canvased 1,656 square miles of the ocean, the department added.

The divers were transported to a Coast Guard station and are in stable condition.

Scuba divers were from Edmond, Oklahoma

The divers have been identified as Nathan and Kim Maker from Edmond, Oklahoma, according to Oklahoma City station KOCO-TV.

Kim Maker is an elementary school teacher, KOCO-TV reported. In a statement, the Edmond School District said they were elated to hear the pair were located and rescued.

The pair went scuba diving with Lisa Shearin, who told KOCO-TV she was stunned by their rescue.

"They have a greater purpose, obviously. God truly did spare them," Shearin told the station. "People don't survive that and not have a story to tell."