California diver dies in heavy surf

[knowone]

On Sundays as a pedestrian I pay less attention to buses and trains
as the timetable suggests fewer are scheduled, thus less likelyhood


More importantly, don't use rubbish chest enveloping BCD's in surf

 

[ligersandtions]

One important skill to learn about shore diving (through surf) is when to call the dive before getting in. I'm a reasonably experienced shore diver, so I have developed the technique and experience to get in/out in less than ideal conditions....but even last weekend, I took one look at the surf and opted not to do the dive (those that went in said the vis was around 3'....not worth fighting to get in/out, imo).

Very sorry to hear about this tragic event. My condolences to the friends and family.

I really do hope people keep this in mind next time conditions look questionable.

 

[Hatul]

Regarding exiting techniques, I find it much easier to enter the surf zone from the ocean on my back on the surface facing the waves, rather than trying to swim on the bottom to exit.

Trying to swim out underwater through the surf is just too disorienting as you have zero vis, the surge is just too powerful and you have no idea when the next wave hits. There is also a theoretical risk of air embolism as the depth changes so quickly.

I surface just past the safety stop zone at around 10 feet and swim out on my back. When the water is waist deep I empty the BC, stand sideways but looking at the waves, and quickly remove my fins. The mask and reg are in place and if a wave comes I stand low with a wide, side stance and hold my hands on my mask and reg. If I get knocked down I crawl out.

The other point to make is that entering or exiting the surf is a solo activity as it's really too hard to maintain buddy contact, each diver just has to make it through as quickly as possible.

Adam

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Regarding exiting techniques, I find it much easier to enter the surf zone from the ocean on my back on the surface facing the waves, rather than trying to swim on the bottom to exit.

I've found that the preferred exiting technique can be site- and condition-dependent. With a near-shore break, the preferred method can be crawling out on your hands and knees with mask on, regulator in. With small waves that aren't breaking right on shore, it can be best to swim in all the way on the bottom and then stand up. If someone on the dive team doesn't have enough gas (for whatever reason) to swim back underwater to waist-high water near shore, then we'll surface before even hitting the surf zone. It all just depends.

When the water is waist deep I empty the BC, stand sideways but looking at the waves, and quickly remove my fins. The mask and reg are in place and if a wave comes I stand low with a wide, side stance and hold my hands on my mask and reg. If I get knocked down I crawl out.

I do the same thing.

The other point to make is that entering or exiting the surf is a solo activity as it's really too hard to maintain buddy contact, each diver just has to make it through as quickly as possible.

In all but the most challenging surf conditions (and then I'd have to question even being out there), I'd have to disagree on this point. Almost all of the time, my dive buddies and I enter/exit the water right next to each other...shoulder-to-shoulder. We generally have 3-5 divers in our group (organized into 2 buddy teams) and, when we want to, we can easily enter shoulder-to-shoulder, ready to help the diver next to us. There are exceptions to everything, though. We have done a handful of shore dives that, for various reasons (rocky formations, limited gap to the water, etc.), required entering one diver at a time. In this case, the diver in the on-deck circle was ready to enter the water ASAP in case the diver in front had an emergency. Exiting the water can be slightly less organized due to unpredictable wave action. We had a dive at Casino Point (Catalina, CA) a couple years ago where large waves were breaking halfway up the steps! A large crowd had gathered on the walkway above to watch us struggle with the exit. We exited one at a time that day and took our lumps. We practically had to surf in and grab onto the railing before the wave sucked us back into the washing machine at the base of the steps. One person got tired of getting bashed on the steps, and after 3 unsuccessful attempts, made the long swim around to Descanso Beach. Whatever works.

 

[Jax]

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.

Question -- if the buddy was having problems earlier, and the first-exiting diver knew it, perhaps he dumped the gear because he knew his buddy needed a lot of help? If I had a failing buddy, it seems sensible to do exactly what the rescuing buddy did.

Scenario - Failing buddy gasps, "Dude, I'm hurting here, I need help." Rescuing diver helps him some, then 'runs' ahead to dump gear, then goes back to help the failing buddy the rest of the way out.

Help me out, surf divers, I have never gone in strong surf.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Question -- if the buddy was having problems earlier, and the first-exiting diver knew it, perhaps he dumped the gear because he knew his buddy needed a lot of help? If I had a failing buddy, it seems sensible to do exactly what the rescuing buddy did.

Scenario - Failing buddy gasps, "Dude, I'm hurting here, I need help." Rescuing diver helps him some, then 'runs' ahead to dump gear, then goes back to help the failing buddy the rest of the way out.

Help me out, surf divers, I have never gone in strong surf.

As I mentioned earlier, I don't know what the specific circumstances were in the incident in question. Each situation is unique.

Speaking for myself, under most conditions, I'm more than capable of getting myself and my buddy out of the water on a shore dive without taking the time to ditch gear on land.

If my buddy just needs a little help, then my preferred method is to keep all of my gear on and lend a hand. On a couple of occasions, my buddy had issues doffing her fins. No big deal. She steadied herself by placing a hand on my shoulder, and I helped her tug the fin off.

I had a dive a few years back where one diver in our threesome had her tank slip out of her tank camband during exit in the surfzone. She insisted on doffing her gear right then and there (questionable choice IMO), but I worked with it. I just grabbed all of her gear and carried it back to shore for her. Our third buddy grabbed one of her weight pockets. I wouldn't have been able to do this if I were diving doubles, had a large UW camera setup, a scooter, or a bunch of stage bottles attached to me.

If things get really "hairy" and my buddy is in life-threatening distress, I'm going to try to make the best decision possible given the options available. If that means ditching my own gear or his gear in the water, then so be it. It's difficult for me to come up with a scenario where taking the time to ditch my gear on land and then run back to help my buddy is the best option available. I'll admit it's certainly possible that the wave action combined with poor buddy positioning caused enough of a buddy separation upon exit that the rescuer did what was best.

It's worth mentioning that when surf is involved, it may be difficult to communicate with other team members. Decisions have to be made quickly. Do the best you can with what you've got.

 

[Ayisha]

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 guess we don't know how much gas the rescuing buddy had and how helpful or cumbersome the buddy thought the gear would be on a rocky exit. We also don't know how far apart the buddies were at that point or how far away from shore the victim was.

In my rescue course, we were taught to remove our gear and the victim's gear while doing rescue breaths as soon as we were in shallow water. In heavy surf, I think I would want to keep all equipment on as long as possible. At the same time, pulling out someone on a possibly narrow, rocky shoreline with heavy surf with all gear on would be a huge challenge.

 

[Scot M]

There are many circumstances where a dive can help a buddy through the surf with both sets if gear in place. However, if the buddy cannot support his own weight, or cannot walk or crawl, at least one set of gear has to go.

I'm a big guy and I used to think I could drag someone out of the water without too much trouble. That lasted until the first time I had to do it. After that fiasco, I decided that if someone needs help in the surf and can't walk, their gear is coming off. I also started making my Rescue students try exiting an unresponsive diver with gear on. Even with two strong rescuers, they seldom succeed.

Don't be afraid to dump an injured or ill diver's gear!

 

[Jax]

Excellent, Scot!

We can believe the rescuer made the best decision based on his knowledge at the time, just as any of us would do. We might not agree with what the rescuer did, but since we weren't there, we cannot really know what we would do.

 

[Jax]

Struggling Diver Dies Off Rocky South Laguna Beach Coast - Mission Viejo, CA Patch

A man who was diving with his brother off Totuava Beach in South Laguna Beach died Tuesday afternoon after he got caught up in the mix of waves, current and rocky shoreline as he struggled to return to shore, said Lt. Jason Kravetz of the Laguna Beach Police Department.

A woman who lived in a condominium above the beach at 31831 Coast Highway called emergency dispatchers about 1:10 p.m. to say she was watching the two divers trying to get back to shore, but they were being tossed around by the waves.

One brother was able to to get ashore and drop his tank and then go back to assist his brother, Kravetz said, but by the time he got his brother back to shore, he was in full cardiac arrest.

Paramedics and lifeguards tried to resuscitate the man, identified as a 37-year-old resident of Mission Viejo, but by the time he was flown to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, he was pronounced dead, said Kravetz.

Police took custody of the man’s gear in order to determine whether or not it played a role in his death. The man's name has not been released.