Catalina Island - Diver dies while Lobstering

[seansrs36]

So what dive boat was it?

 

[Leejnd]

So what dive boat was it?

This is UNCONFIRMED...but I heard from a reliable source that it was the Bottom Scratcher out of Long Beach.

 

[blue steal]

I would love to take up bug hunting. The last few dives I did I went exploring around, (bird rock & eagle reef), and saw quite a few lobsters, (actually a lot!).
But I want to have a few more dives under my belt before giving it a go. And even then, go with someone who has experience with "bug" hunting.
Our thoughts and prayers to the family.

 

[drbill]

First, my condolences to his family and friends.

It is not unusual to have a death or two on opening night. I don't know the diving history, physical condition or anything else about the diver involved in this unfortunate situation. However, it seems a number of bug hunting divers enter the water opening night without having much recent diving experience since the end of the previous season. Combine that with the fact they are diving over night when senses may not be sharpest and largely in the dark, and it is not surprising deaths occur.

I confine my diving during the opening of season to before midnight on the night it opens and daytime the following day. Of course I haven't taken a bug since 1975 either (although I've eaten a few legally taken by my dive buddies).

 

[Leejnd]

I would love to take up bug hunting. The last few dives I did I went exploring around, (bird rock & eagle reef), and saw quite a few lobsters, (actually a lot!).
But I want to have a few more dives under my belt before giving it a go. And even then, go with someone who has experience with "bug" hunting.
Our thoughts and prayers to the family.

I'm very happy to see that you want to have more dives under your belt before you begin lobster hunting. When I first started diving, all of my (more experienced) dive buddies urged me to not even CONSIDER bug hunting until I'd been diving for at least a year, or had at least 50 local dives. And so I didn't, even though I got certified during lobster season, and would frequently see them on beach dives. As it turned out, the timing worked out perfectly for me - I hit the 50-dive mark right around the time of the beginning of the next lobster season. My first few attempts at bug hunting, I didn't even hunt - I went with experienced bug-hunters, and I watched.

Once I felt comfortable with how things can go underwater while hunting, then I began going for them myself. With quite a bit of success, I might add - I caught 23 bugs my first season! Every one of them was legal, caught properly (hands only), measured underwater, and I maintained my buoyancy while measuring them - one of the most common problems of new divers...while they're trying to measure the bug, UP UP UP they go! (Okay, I admit I had a few problems with buoyancy during my early bug hunting jaunts - I caught myself floating upwards while measuring a few times, before I got the hang of it.) <-- I had to put that in there, or my bug hunting buddies would have called me on it!

Lobster hunting in CA is not for inexperienced divers, or once-a-year divers, or those who don't dive often enough to keep their skills sharp. But I know this message will not get out to the people who actually need to hear it. Those once-a-year divers aren't spending any time reading on Scubaboard.

 

[crispix]

Man dies while lobster fishing off Catalina | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times

 

[Leejnd]

Crispix - this is the exact article that was posted in the second post of this thread.

 

[Mr.bugs]

You don’t know anything about that diver. How do you know he was inexperienced. Why don’t you make sure you know what your talking about before you make judgment on a man that is dead. I’m sure if it was you some big head loud mouth would say the same thing about you.

Ohmygod. Now THIS one really hits home. This is my territory. I didn't know the lost diver, but I'm so saddened to hear this.

But I'm also extremely frustrated.

WHY WHY WHY do inexperienced divers go out on the WORST night of the year? The one night when the seas and reefs are packed with once-a-year divers...when boats are crammed so full that crew are overtaxed...when divers are paying less attention than normal to their buddies, so they can go after that bug in the kelp...Sigh....

It's heartbreaking. But I just don't understand why people do this. California diving is already some of the most challenging on the planet, with cold water, kelp, unpredictable currents. Night diving in these conditions adds exponentially to the challenge. Adding lobster hunting to that equation makes it all the more dangerous - when you are bug hunting, you are essentially diving solo because you simply can NOT give your buddy adequate attention if you are intent on chasing fast-moving bugs. I didn't hunt for lobsters until I had quite a few local dives under my belt, including many night and beach dives, and was diving frequently so that my skills were sharp. My first few bug hunts, I buddied up with experienced lobster hunters. Now that I have over 150 dives, I've been hunting for a few years - but I don't go out on opening night. Too crazy.

Every year, opening night is marred with some kind of incident, almost invariably due to inexperienced divers taking on this incredibly dangerous activity. It just breaks my heart...and makes me angry. What can be done? Should the boats set a minimum experience and/or dive frequency level for opening-night trips?

Of course this wouldn't help the situation at the beaches, were lobster hunting is even MORE dangerous...and where there are no controls whatsoever. At least on a boat, you've got somebody checking to see if the divers are even certified, and have the appropriate licenses. On the beach, anyone can dive in and see what they can come up with. IF they come up at all.

 

[NJ to FLA]

What people don't realize is that the act of diving on mini-season is no different from diving any other time. IF you are an experienced diver who dives frequently, that is.

Too many people dive once a year only, on mini-season. They just aren't comfortable underwater and don't know how to use their gear if they have an emergency. Or, they are totally unfit and out of shape...the diving isn't really what kills them, it's the heart attack from the extra stress.

For those of us who dive frequently and stay in shape, it is no more or less dangerous than another similar day of diving. There is nothing about a date on the calendar that suddenly makes it more deadly.

This is taken from a Florida miniseason thread.

 

[Leejnd]

You don’t know anything about that diver. How do you know he was inexperienced. Why don’t you make sure you know what your talking about before you make judgment on a man that is dead. I’m sure if it was you some big head loud mouth would say the same thing about you.

Wow. Nice. Welcome to Scubaboard. You call someone a "big head loud mouth" in your 2nd post? That's certainly a novel way to join a community. Nice to meetcha.

You are correct, I didn't know this diver. I based my "inexperienced" comment on two things: a report I read that referred to him as a "novice"; and on the simple fact that this is most commonly the reason divers die on lobster season opening night.

And for the record, I didn't specifically state that this diver was inexperienced. I was lamenting the fact that this happens every single year...and it's almost invariably due to inexperienced, once-a-year divers. Given that fact, even though I didn't specifically state this poor lost diver was inexperienced, it's a pretty reasonable assumption.

Please refrain from name calling in this forum. It's rude and juvenile. And it's not going to gain you any friends here.