Four scuba divers, who went missing Sunday, have been rescued and reunited with their families, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. What was supposed to be a 45-minute dive turned out to be an 18-hour ordeal adrift in the ocean.

The four were found about 46 miles southeast of the mouth of the Cape Fear River, off North Carolina, the Coast Guard said Monday. They had been in the water for more than 12 hours when they were spotted by a Coast Guard plane at about 12:45 a.m. 

"Four men diving from the pleasure craft Big Bill’s, approximately 63 miles east of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina near noon, had not resurfaced," the Coast Guard said Sunday. 

The Coast Guard said strong currents pulled the divers about 250 yards from the boat, and they were not able to get back.

The plane spotted an SOS strobe light from one of the divers in the water, the Coast Guard said. A U.S. Navy Destroyer, USS Porter, was nearby for training and launched a life raft to rescue the divers. 

The four rescued divers were Ben Wiggins, 64, Luke Lodge, 26, Daniel Williams, 46, and a 16-year-old, all from North Carolina. None were injured.

The Coast Guard said they arrived back on Oak Island at about 6:10 a.m. Monday with the divers. Photos shared by the Coast Guard Monday morning show the divers being reunited with their families.

“Any time the Coast Guard launches for a search and rescue case, it is always our hope and goal to be able to reunite those we are searching for with their friends and families,” said Capt. Timothy List, commander of Coast Guard Sector North Carolina. “In this case that is exactly what took place, which is always a great feeling for our rescue crews.”

The Coast Guard sent two helicopters, an airplane and several boats out to search for the men.  

Monday morning, the Coast Guard said they had found the men and brought them back safely to land.