California diver dies in heavy surf

[DandyDon]

Shore diving is popular in some areas and newbies often ask about it for many destinations, but I like easy boat entries & exits with boatmates to help me if I need it.

Diver dies after getting caught in heavy surf | water, beach, diver - News - The Orange County Register

LAGUNA BEACH – A diver off the coast of Totuaya Beach died Tuesday after he was spotted struggling in the water and pulled ashore by a partner, authorities said.

The two divers were seen in the water at 1:10 p.m. by a female resident of the area, according to a statement released by Lt. Jason Kravetz of the Laguna Beach Police Department.

The woman told dispatchers she could see the two men trying to get to the shore, but continuing to be tossed around in the water.

One of the men was able to get to the rocky coastline and get rid of his diving gear before jumping back into the water to rescue his partner, the statement read.

The man was pulled to the shore.

Police, fire and lifeguards tried to resuscitate the man, who was taken to Mission Hospital by helicopter. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The diver, whose name has not been released, has been identified only as a 37-year-old resident of Mission Viejo.

 

[VooDooGasMan]

So the diver got to a rocky shore, dumped his gear and then went back in with no scuba unit to help.

Dump the gear, no one will dump the gear, to stop these problems before they become fatal.

 

[Scot M]

The City of Laguna Beach has had their beaches officially closed to diving since last weekend due to high (5'+) surf and very low (2') visibility. Beach diving can be safe, cheap, and a lot of fun, but it's always a good idea to check with local authorities, dive shops, or divers if you are unsure about conditions.

Despite diving in Laguna all the time, I had no idea where this beach was located. It turns out that Totuava Beach is about a mile south of the Montage Resort, between Seacliff Dr. and Circle Dr.

 

[drbill]

Even here on the protected leeward coast of Catalina, the conditions were a bit snotty yesterday. I was glad I dove anyway, but I would not have dived the mainland coast!

 

[Hatul]

I like shore diving, but 3 foot surf is my limit. The other thing, unless the surf is really calm, I believe in keeping the mask on and reg in mouth when crossing the surf zone. I see lots of divers removing this, which works fine until you get knocked down. With the reg in mouth you can crawl out.

Adam

 

[Rainer]

Diving safely through surf is a matter of technique, experience, and judgment. Sometimes, it's better to go grab breakfast/lunch/dinner/drinks than dive.

Very sorry to hear about this tragic incident.

 

[snowdog]

I did my first open water shore dive at Shaw’s Cove (a few years ago), the surf was running 2 to 4 feet, vis was 4 feet, with a heavy surge.
I think the Instructor/Dive Master should have called the dive, before we even entered the water, but he had to get the dives in.
Net results…. some lost gear.

 

[EastTNDiver]

I like shore diving, but 3 foot surf is my limit. The other thing, unless the surf is really calm, I believe in keeping the mask on and reg in mouth when crossing the surf zone. I see lots of divers removing this, which works fine until you get knocked down. With the reg in mouth you can crawl out.

Adam

Yeah, I never understood this. Was just out diving off boats in some very rough seas a few weeks ago, and almost everyone exiting the water took their masks off and spit out their regs while still on the tag line. Talking about a bunch of coughing and choking divers. My son and I leave reg and mask in position, take off our fins on the line while still out of reach of the bucking ladder, and then pull ourselves to the ladder. Only after I'm securely up the ladder, with no chance of falling back into those rough waters, do I spit out the reg and take off my mask.

 

[mdax]

I used to dive in really crappy conditions while growing up in san diego. It's critical to surface with lots of gas, dump weights at the first sign of bad things and keep the reg in your mouth. I've had to crawl onto the beach on all fours with mask and reg on many times, however it's not that bad...when i was certified from a teacher at Mt. Carmel high school he spent an entire day having us crawl in and out of the surf zone and up the beach.
Terribly sad that these basic techniques may have kept this poor guy alive.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Sorry to hear about this tragic accident. It does sound a little curious that the buddy ditched the dive gear on the rocky shore before rescuing his buddy. I am sympathetic to the fact that negotiating surf (entry or exit) can separate buddies. It will be interesting to hear more about the circumstances that led the diver to ditch gear first and then help the buddy. In my mind, this would make sense if the rescuing diver was: (1) very close to shore and (2) closer to shore than his buddy. I suppose that could have been the case...or perhaps there was some other complicating factor that I'm not considering.

I have to admit that when I enter the water on shore dives nowadays, I generally have my mask around my neck and my reg not in my mouth. I'm comfortable ducking "reasonable" waves without a mask and reg, but I do have a hand on my reg during the ducking/kneeling process. If I get rolled, I know that I can shove my reg in my mouth. When the surfbreak gets to be larger than 3 or 4 ft., then I'll enter with mask on and reg in the mouth. However, in most cases when the surf is that big, my buddies and I decide not to dive. The ocean isn't going anywhere, and we can be patient enough to wait out poor dive conditions.

I have to agree with Rainer that safe diving in/around surf requires experience, technique, and good judgment. SoCal shore diving helps to develop these things.