Abalone diver missing - California

[JohnN]

No doubt that not dropping a weight belt is too often a contributing factor in abalone diving accidents but also keep in mind cardiac or other health related conditions are also a significant cause in these accidents. Dropping or not dropping the weight belt becomes a mute point in sudden cardiac arrest. It's too early to say whether or not this was a factor in this particular case.

With all respect to the diseased

.

 

[U/c spearo]

Laurie S, Chris Willes was a very accomplished Freediver and spearo in Nor Cal. His wife sat on shore as he went to one of his favorite spots to grab a limit of abs. On his third dive he did not surface. Rescue backed off and his wife Linda called his fellow spearo's. His friends responded and hit the water to find their friend, his arm was trapped in a cave. His friends carried him to shore. His friends took him to shore and covered their dead friend with a jacket so he wouldn't be cold anymore. Sometimes it's not the weight belt !!!

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks for sharing the info U/c spearo . A tragic accident.

 

[Laurie S.]

Yes, and preventable perhaps with a buddy nearby. I'm new at abalone diving, last month just being my second trip. My buddy has been doing it for more than 40 years, however, so I have a good teacher. I passed on some abalone this year because of the need to reach down in a narrow fissure. I think I will continue to do that.

 

[chillyinCanada]

JohnN, nowadays with smartphone autocorrect and auto word selection, one needs to cut even more slack on a typed word choice that may not be what the poster actually meant to post. For a fine example of this, I'm quite sure DandyDon didn't mean to say it was a "traffic" accident.

 

[UWPhotoKeith]

Laurie S, Chris Willes was a very accomplished Freediver and spearo in Nor Cal. His wife sat on shore as he went to one of his favorite spots to grab a limit of abs. On his third dive he did not surface. Rescue backed off and his wife Linda called his fellow spearo's. His friends responded and hit the water to find their friend, his arm was trapped in a cave. His friends carried him to shore. His friends took him to shore and covered their dead friend with a jacket so he wouldn't be cold anymore. Sometimes it's not the weight belt !!!

Thanks for the information U/c spearo, most times we don't get this much detail from the accidents on our coast which leaves to a lot of speculation. Sounds like a freak accident for an experienced free diver. I have been an ab diver for 25+ years and have never heard of a free diver drowning due to an arm getting wedged in the rocks, but can now imagine that. Something to think about next time....

Condolences to his family and friends, I am sorry they had to go through this but also glad they were there to recover Chris and bring him back home.

 

[Ayisha]

With all respect to the diseased

I'm sure you didn't mean to say that the deceased had a disease.

I'm also pretty sure that most of us knew what Keith meant.

Sorry, carry on.

 

[Bob DBF]

From the 10/28/13 Santa Rosa Press Democrat:

One week ago today, Linda Willes of seaside Timber Cove stood on the rocky shoreline a few miles from home and saw her husband dive below the surface on his third descent for abalone and not come back up.
Two days of anguish later, state and county emergency personnel had not found the body of 56-year-old Craig Willes through the thick kelp in Salt Point Park's Fisk Mill Cove, a popular but often perilous place to free-dive — without air tanks — for abalone.
By then desperate, Linda Willes knocked on the door of fellow Timber Cove resident and avid diver Jason O'Donnell.
“She asked me if I could help bring her husband home,” he said. He told her he would try.
“To be honest,” he said, “I didn't want to give her false hope.”
At 41, O'Donnell is a general contractor who has switched to diving on the Sonoma Coast. Last year, he went in on 204 days.
A member of a small and tight community of free-divers who savor the rugged stretch of coast north of Jenner, O'Donnell works as an abalone and spear-fishing guide and mentor. He felt that he had to try to find Craig Willes.
As O'Donnell made preparations to go into Fisk Mill Cove the following morning, Thursday, his wife, Amanda, suggested that he make a plea for assistance on one of his favorite websites. He went onto the Nor Cal Underwater Hunters site and asked if any fellow divers would go with him to look for the lost diver's body.
He chokes up as he recounts that four men dropped whatever they were doing and headed for the northern Sonoma Coast.
The four were Heath Blackwell of Healdsburg, Jack Johnson of Richmond, Ken Butler of Benicia and Robert Winn of Colusa.
O'Donnell informed State Parks lifeguards and a buddy who's a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy that he and the other civilian divers were going into Fisk Mill Cove to look for the lost man.
About 10 Thursday morning, Linda Willes accompanied the divers up Highway 1 to Fisk Mill Cove and pointed out where her husband, an experienced abalone diver, had failed to resurface.
(page 2 of 2)
Though they'd brought along scuba tanks, the five men agreed free-diving with just the air in their lungs is what they know best, so at least to start they would not use the tanks. The water was milky and the surges strong as they entered the water
O'Donnell said it was toughest dive of his life, in part because of trying to breathe with a lump in his throat.
He and the others swam about 300 yards, around two great rocks, to get to the area where Willes had been diving. They'd been in the water about two hours when Johnson men found a face mask.
A short time later, Winn surfaced and called to O'Donnell. Winn led him to a small cave about 20 feet down.
Craig Willes' body was stuck in the opening, one arm extended into the cave. Winn cut free his weight belt and they started back up.
It was a bit past noon when Linda Willes spotted O'Donnell and Winn with her husband's body. Three days had passed since she'd watched him diving and surfacing in one of his favorite pursuits.
The five divers' swim back to the shore was a long one. O'Donnell said they were perhaps 100 feet out when the state lifeguard who was present jumped into the water, swam out and said he'd take over from there.
Winn responded politely but firmly that they would bring the diver in.
O'Donnell said the lifeguard didn't persist right then, but when the divers were in only about six feet of water he said again that he would take over.
This time, O'Donnell told him something close to, “He's done being in the cold water. We're bringing him in.”
Amanda O'Donnell hurried off to tell Salt Point Park rangers that the lost diver's body had just been recovered. Authorities converged on the cove.
Linda Willes has since struggled for words adequate to thank Jason O'Donnell and the other divers.

My hat is off to the divers, Thanks guys. RIP Craig.



Bob

---------- Post added October 28th, 2013 at 03:19 PM ----------

I have been an ab diver for 25+ years and have never heard of a free diver drowning due to an arm getting wedged in the rocks, but can now imagine that. Something to think about next time....

My speculation to my dive buddy early on was that the surge, as the swell was up, held him in one of the ratholes that abound in that area, longer than he expected. I ab dive in the area out past the big rocks because of an experience from which I can still taste the ocean, unless it is rather calm. I don't see an experienced ab diver getting his arm caught, but I can see one being forced into a hole too long. We only know how he was found later.



Bob
-----------------------------------------
"the future is uncertain and the end is always near"
Jim Morrison


Oh, oh it’s a dangerous world
Jimmy Buffett

 

[Peter_C]

My speculation to my dive buddy early on was that the surge, as the swell was up

From what I was told that day held a 17 second interval, which creates a VERY powerful surge randomly. I heard he was partially in a cave too. I have no further information.

We all need to respect the Pacific Ocean, as even the experienced can have an accident.

 

[Hatul]

Before we get on the quick and easy "just drop your weightbelt" blanket answer, let's keep in mind there are certain situations where it's not advisable. In a heavy kelp environment, dropping your belt may just lead you to uncontrollably ascend into an overhead tangle of kelp. And for those not familiar with kelp, you have to remember: taunt kelp is near impossible to free yourself from. If you're caught in kelp, you have to back track and relax; allow the kelp to slack and loosen, then slide it off. You can't do that if you have a 10-15lb positive suit pulling you up.

Benefit of the doubt, for all we know the diver in question may have very well known this. That dropping a weightbelt would be a death sentence for his specific circumstance; make the situation worse.

My experience with kelp is it can usually be broken by bending it with your hands. It has lots of tensile strength but not much to breaking due to bending. If that does not work you cut it with your knife.