Catalina Island - Diver dies while Lobstering

[blue steal]

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.

I hope we can at the very least learn something from this tragic event.

 

[overkillphil]

Very sobering, as I am heading out for our Bug trip thursday night. 3 days on The Great Escape around the channel islands. I can't help but wonder, did he run out of air? I guess only time, and the equipment inspection report will tell.

 

[liuk3]

To be respectful and sensitive to the situation, I do think that we should be very careful not to make direct or indirect insinuations of the facts particularly if they are unconfirmed.

 

[ShakaZulu]

People always want to jump to conclusions and make up stuff about what could have happened...nothing wrong with that, unless someone knows the person who died, and take offense. So, it's your call on what you want to do.

 

[Codyjp]

and making accusations, assumptions and hearsay will do what exactly for the good of the diving community?

It's sort of like standing on a soapbox and preaching the dangers of an activity that just got somebody killed.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

It actually does serve the community in that it makes other new or newer divers aware of just what this sport does when you don't give it the respect it requires. It kills people. Quickly and in some very nasty ways. I do not agree with, subscribe to, or participate in the fallacy promoted by so many that this is an easy, totally safe, and not dangerous sport. It CAN be those if one follows their training, does not dive too far outside of it without some experience, and perhaps more training, or makes bad choices. I have never lobster hunted and never will. I don't like lobster. But from posts like this and the ones earlier this year regarding the mini season in florida I have learned that should I take it up the following. There are alot of idiots out there both on and in the water. Expect divers to die because they just gotta have that bug. Bad decisions seem to multiply, gear that has not been used in a year or even years gets taken out with no checks, and more boats will be on the water than should be. It only makes sense then that if I were to take it up going out the first day is dumb, watch out for boats, and have 911 on speed dial cause someone is gonna need it.

 

[vladimir]

To be respectful and sensitive to the situation, I do think that we should be very careful not to make direct or indirect insinuations of the facts particularly if they are unconfirmed.

People always want to jump to conclusions and make up stuff about what could have happened...nothing wrong with that, unless someone knows the person who died, and take offense. So, it's your call on what you want to do.

and making accusations, assumptions and hearsay will do what exactly for the good of the diving community?

It's sort of like standing on a soapbox and preaching the dangers of an activity that just got somebody killed.

It seems like we have to have this discussion in every accident thread. Read the stickies associated with the forum, particularly the one entitled, "If I should die while diving." The forum is intended for the analysis of accidents with an eye towards gleaning lessons that might prevent other accidents. In the absence of witnesses--which is usually the case--the precise circumstances generally will remain unknown. Nevertheless, we try to learn what we can. In this thread, a reader can learn some of the risks of diving at night, on crowded boats, with minimal recent experience, in a challenging diving environment. That is a valuable lesson, even if the victim died for reasons totally different from these. And it is a lesson that is more likely to make an impression on the reader precisely because somebody may have recently died for these reasons. Nobody has been disrespectful to the deceased. If threads like this bother you, I'd suggest you don't read them.

 

[liuk3]

...
If threads like this bother you, I'd suggest you don't read them.

OK. If posts like mine bother you, I'd suggest you don't read them...

 

[drbill]

I did a night dive last night in the Casino Point dive park. I waited topside as the sky was darkening before entering to film. I noticed two things. First was an inflatable running without lights and with one person in wetsuit moving up and down the boundary line of the park. My guess is that they were going to dive the park for lobsters. If so, I hope they were VERY inexperienced divers!

Second, the bug population seemed to have declined noticeably over the past few days. Strictly anecdotal and not scientific. It probably had more to do with the surge that picked up than divers taking them... I hope.

 

[Leejnd]

Just for the record, I feel it necessary to reiterate that I did not directly state the diver was inexperienced. I made no direct statement about the diver at all. I bemoaned the fact that inexperienced divers die on lobster season opening night every year...which is a plain, simple, irrefutable, and tragic fact.

I apologize if someone misread my statement, or misunderstood my intent. But I do not appreciate being accused of being disrespectful, making up stuff, making accusations, etc. etc.

I am a SoCal diver, and I hate to hear of this happening in my own dive community. It's heartbreaking. And it could MOSTLY be prevented if inexperienced divers didn't wait for this one night to go out, having not worked all year to keep up their skills. Is this what happened to the diver in question? I personally don't know. I did read one report that referred to him as a "novice". And in this forum, all we have to go on are the published reports, and/or whatever people post in here. I have stated before and I'll state again - I did not know this diver.

But, I still maintain that, given the history of lobster-season opening nights, it's a reasonable assumption to make.

As for whether or not I should make assumptions or jump to conclusions at all...as others have pointed out, that's what this forum is for! It's to discuss accidents. Without direct information, we have nothing to talk about BUT assumptions, conclusions, and guesses.

My guess is that he was inexperienced. If I'm wrong, so be it...but the basic statistics of lobster-season opening night incidents lead me to believe I'm right.

Please do not mistake this as being disrespectful. All we can do in this forum is try to learn from these incidents. If one inexperienced diver, thinking about going out bug-hunting without having kept up his skills, reads this thread and RETHINKS it, and maybe even does some work to gain experience and improve his skills before he goes a-hunting, then you guys can throw all the darts at me you want...my speculating, assuming, and conclusion-jumping has done it's job.