Catalina Island (California) incident on Sunday, August 26, 2018

[SailorJoe]

My wife bumped into some news with her scuba group about a gentleman who died after diving at Catalina Island on [Saturday - corrected from Sunday]. Here is all we know:

• A woman on the dive boat reported seeing a male diver surface.
• He was [initially] responsive, but later was unresponsive. (correction made)
  
• CPR was administered for ~20min until the US Coast Guard arrived.
  
• Blood was coming from his airway.
• He was later pronounced dead by local officials.

Not sure of the details, but I presume he ruptured a lung by surfacing too quickly. If anybody has any news, updates, lessons learned on this incident please share.

 

[ladiver33]

I know none of the details but saw the same post. Not that it makes a big difference but the initial post mentions the diver WAS initially responsive at the surface.

 

[azjohnnyo]

Is there a link to the story?

 

[SailorJoe]

Is there a link to the story?

Apparently it did not even make the news. I was out in LA last weekend attending a paddleboard race from Avalon to Manhattan Beach and learned about it. We may need a local in the Los Angeles diving community to chime in to find out more.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Our man about town; top side and underwater is @Ken Kurtis who is some how some way involved in horizontal dive medicine

sdm
@Ducky diver

 

[azjohnnyo]

We were out last Friday and Saturday on the Westerly Dive boat at Catalina.

 

[Ken Kurtis]

What I can tell you is that yes, it happened more or less as described by the OP and clarified by post #2 (although I have the date as Saturday, not Sunday). This is our first SoCal fatality of the year.

- Ken

 

[SailorJoe]

What I can tell you is that yes, it happened more or less as described by the OP and clarified by post #2 (although I have the date as Saturday, not Sunday). This is our first SoCal fatality of the year.

- Ken

Thank you for the additional details Ken. Very sad indeed to receive this confirmation.