Accident and rescue at Breakwater (Monterey, CA)

[MauiScubaSteve]

My divemaster was walking her dogs on the pier when she witnessed 3 divers pop to the surface near a float which was a good 1000-1500 yards from the shore and said one of them was unconscious and there appeared to be confusion in the water. It appears that open water students swam her to shore ( a looong way to shore especially for an OW student).

Are you sure this is correct?

1650 yds is considered a mile in swim competitions! I have done many dives that are around 3000' offshore and the return surface swim is in the neighborhood of 30 minutes, with a favorable current. And that is with strong legs, freedive fins and not towing an unconscious diver!

How deep is the water 1000 yards off that beach?

 

[Diver0001]

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[mikemill]

Are you sure this is correct?

1650 yds is considered a mile in swim competitions! I have done many dives that are around 3000' offshore and the return surface swim is in the neighborhood of 30 minutes, with a favorable current. And that is with strong legs, freedive fins and not towing an unconscious diver!

How deep is the water 1000 yards off that beach?

Note: Wasn't there that day so I don't know where they came up so I'm just gonna talk about the site. The area of concern

So the common area to take out classes is the south end of the beach along the wall. Even a 1000 feet is actually pretty far out and is deeper than any class would go. More likely they were about 500 feet out (along the wall there are big painted numbers every hundred feet with half way marks between then). According to Google Maps Distance Calculator the entire pier is 1500 feet and I don't know anyone who'd surface swim that out.

Now the nice thing about the site is that there are almost always people all along the pier so you can pop up almost anywhere (that a class would be) and be in yelling distance.

 

[egprinting]

I was told that the young lady is doing OK and was released from the hospital Tuesday.