Abalone Diver Missing at Sea Ranch - Oct. 20

[diveguy1]

Crews on California coast search for abalone diver

State fire crews on Tuesday were searching the bluffs near Sea Ranch for a body or other clues.

The search began Monday when a rope was found dangling from a nearby bluff above a beach where free diving, or diving without oxygen tanks, is permitted. Investigators then found the gear, including a flotation device, and abalone on the beach.

There have been no missing persons reports and no abandoned vehicle found. The U.S. Coast Guard also has found no signs of a diver in distress.

(AP Article from the SF Chronicle, Oct. 20, 2009)

 

[pacificgal]

Hope he/she is found safe.

 

[Anti-Hero]

Hopefully, since no car was found, I'm wondering if it's a poacher who got spooked and just left his gear / abs?

It's weird to say I hope it was a poacher...

 

[pacificgal]

I'm going to make up my own optimistic story.
Diver climbs down rope with diving gear, goes abalone hunting, gets some abs and brings them back to shore with his diving gear.
Having climbed down the rope, he couldn't figure out how to get all his gear and abs back up the rope, so left them there and drove home, planning on coming back today with another rope and basket of some sort to bring the gear and abalone up.
Now that I've said it, lets hope it comes true.

 

[pacificgal]

Fire officials in The Sea Ranch are still waiting to find out if they've got a missing abalone diver on their hands after several pieces of equipment were found floating and abandoned off the coast Monday morning.

No one's been reported missing, and no one's claimed the flotation device found with fresh abalone inside suggesting a recent dive trip, Cal Fire Capt. Shelley Spear said Wednesday.

A rope also was found dangling from a nearby cliff, she said.

The Coast Guard conducted a daylong search Monday after the flotation device was discovered just north of Black Point Beach but found no divers in distress.

Adding to the mystery, a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy reported that a second flotation device washed ashore Wednesday morning at Walk On Beach, in the more northerly part of The Sea Ranch, Spear said.

But now it's just a waiting game - for a phone call from someone claiming the equipment, or from someone wondering about the well-being of a resident or renter they haven't been able to reach, Spear said.

“It is very strange,” Spear said, “and then to have another one wash on shore is even more bizarre.”



That's the update from 3 hours ago

 

[Gombessa]

I don't know much about ab diving, but if the abs in the float over the daily limit, (or smaller than allowed), I wouldn't be surprised if nobody stepped forward to claim them and admit they were poaching.

 

[bigmapes]

Hi everyone, I created an account just so I could post some additional info. My Fiancee and I were honeymooning in Sea Ranch and we saw the divers (yes there were two, both male). They were on Pebble Beach and it was around 2 or 3:00 in the afternoon. There was also another older person (not in their dive party) and what I'm guessing were his grand kids. He talked to one of the divers. We were up on the bluff trail looking down. I wanted to watch them to see what ab diving is like so we sat down on a bench and they geared up (no tanks). One of them had just finished zipping on his hoodie when he took off up the stairs after he briefly talked to his buddy (access to beach from both sides by stairs). We then watched him run back up the trail...this was a little Odd b/c he didn't de-gear and it was a ways to walk. At that point they had been fussing around with their gear and what not for the better part of 15 minutes so we decided that was enough and continued on our walk. What happened after that I can't say. I tried calling the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office but I didn't get anybody who could help or as I was told, they weren't the ones investigating it. There is a link to the beach at californiacoastline.org (I don't have enough posts to submit links yet)

We are leaving today, hopefully someone in these forums can help direct this information to the correct party.

 

[pacificgal]

Thanks bigmapes, I will look up the original news story and try to forward your report to the proper people.

 

[pacificgal]

SONOMA CO.: NO FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF REPORTED MISSING DIVER ON COAST

Authorities are no longer actively investigating a report about a possible missing abalone diver near the private community of Sea Ranch on the Sonoma Coast.

Cal Fire Capt. Shelley Spear said this afternoon that despite the fact that a tube used to store abalone and tools used to harvest it were found 100 yards offshore Monday morning, nobody has filed a missing person's report and a vehicle was not found near the private beach.

A Sea Ranch resident reported a possible diver in distress in the area of Galleons Reach around 12:55 p.m. Monday.

The U.S. Coast Guard searched the water until around 7 p.m. Monday before suspending the search and Cal Fire walked the bluffs in Sea Ranch Tuesday looking for a body that may have washed ashore.

Spear said this afternoon there may never have been a missing diver but the discovery of a diver's flipper a quarter-mile from the area where someone apparently lost their abalone tube warranted a search.

One possibility is that someone rented a residence in Sea Ranch for the weekend, went abalone diving, lost their abalone tube and went home after the weekend ended, Spear said.

Here is the update