Catalina island diver missing - California

[azstinger11]

Diver has been found.. RIP

Not questioning that, but haven’t seen that update in any of the news coverage. You have a link?

Edit: never mind found one, Diver missing near Santa Catalina Island found dead

Lobster season claims it’s first victim, RIP

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I checked out what seems to be his Facebook page. Sad. If it is the guy, he was a good-looking young man with a pretty wife. Diving photos were posted in February. Looks like he loved his seafood. Lots of seafood pics along with weekend warrior photos doing all kinds of adventure sports. Probably didn't have the time to really master any of them except for what he did for a living. Looks like he remodeled and built homes and did some nice work.

 

[dytis-sm]

Boat seems to have been on a 3 day trip starting Saturday (season opened 6 am Saturday) and ending today, Monday the 3rd. I suppose the diver went missing Sunday night on the 2nd night of the trip. Lots of possible scenarios. I have dived on that boat for a lobster season closing multi-day trip and can imagine a lot of possibilities. One scary problem is boat traffic in Catalina during lobster season opening weekend as dive and fishing boats hassle for spots to hunt for bugs. Hate to speculate but can't help thinking the scenarios I encountered in such a trip. May the poor guy RIP.

 

[Benthos]

The Cee Ray is a great boat with many decades of experience safely putting divers on Catalina bugs, day and night.

At night it is pretty common for the persuit of lobster to be, or become, a mostly solo activity. You have to be responsible for your own safety during your dive.

Diving that late is not uncommon.

It can be strenuous even in very good conditions and lobster often draw divers under objects, into cracks, crevices or caves.

Overall night diving for lobster in good conditions on Catalina tends to be very safe.

My heart goes out to everyone involved.

 

[ROUS]

Sad deal.

 

[Baker_Dive]

Damn, I’ve dove with this boat a few times, great crew and skip. This was a three day lobster trip.

 

[Baker_Dive]

I was recently criticized here on SB by a member for carrying one, "Because no one else does." I never leave home without it, and certainly wouldn't dive an ocean without one. Years before I learned about them, I bought some portable marine radios, but found them useless. I need to rehome those.

Who cares about others opinions? I dive with plb, , dsmb, dive alert, mirror, and a 25foot long streamer I can deploy. I want to get a marine radio and a laser pointer. My fear is being stranded in open ocean.

When your stranded in open ocean and have hours upon hours to think, you’d kick yourself pretty bad if you cheaper out.

 

[Benthos]

Who cares about others opinions? I dive with plb, , dsmb, dive alert, mirror, and a 25foot long streamer I can deploy. I want to get a marine radio and a laser pointer. My fear is being stranded in open ocean.

When your stranded in open ocean and have hours upon hours to think, you’d kick yourself pretty bad if you cheaper out.

I sometimes dive with them and they're a good idea if you dive mounts offshore with big currents in the middle of nowhere.

And they cost all of $100 plus 10 bucks on Amazon for a waterproof case for it.

There was one boat at the Cortez Bank's a friend vouched that somebody was back on board and below in their bunk when they were in fact still in the water.

They didn't figure out he was missing till they had made it all the way back and there was one bunk left after everyone disembarked still full of stuff.

Fortunately he was able to get to and pull himself up on the buoy which is where they found him.

If not with the amount of time that had elapsed I doubt he ever would have been found.

There are a number of cases of Southern California dive boats leaving divers behind adrift sometimes with fatal results. The woman who was left at ship rock or the gentleman who was drifting in the channel overnight and noticed by a boy scout doing night watch that happened to be cruising by. Very lucky and I think the settlement in that case was fairly substantial.

 

[DandyDon]

And they cost all of $100 plus 10 bucks on Amazon for a waterproof case for it.

My PLB was considerably costlier and the canister was around $100. Which are you talking about?

 

[Baker_Dive]

I sometimes dive with them and they're a good idea if you dive mounts offshore with big currents in the middle of nowhere.

And they cost all of $100 plus 10 bucks on Amazon for a waterproof case for it.

There was one boat at the Cortez Bank's a friend vouched that somebody was back on board and below in their bunk when they were in fact still in the water.

They didn't figure out he was missing till they had made it all the way back and there was one bunk left after everyone disembarked still full of stuff.

Fortunately he was able to get to and pull himself up on the buoy which is where they found him.

If not with the amount of time that had elapsed I doubt he ever would have been found.

There are a number of cases of Southern California dive boats leaving divers behind adrift sometimes with fatal results. The woman who was left at ship rock or the gentleman who was drifting in the channel overnight and noticed by a boy scout doing night watch that happened to be cruising by. Very lucky and I think the settlement in that case was fairly substantial.

Ugh, I am not a fan of reading this type of stuff. Im heading to SOCal Friday for the bugs and don’t want to be left.

Reminds me of being on a liveaboard in Bahamas and they had the diver check in and check out tags that you moved. It was a joke, people would move other peoples tags, or the crew would move peoples tags. Im a firm believer that NO ONE should touch another divers tag, under zero circumstances. That tag is my lifeline and it was just non chalant about it.

Granted the crew were counting the spots divers put tanks/gear in when they returned, BUT how easy would it be for a deckhand to throw an extra tank and bcd in a spot real quick and the count goes awry and they pull off.

I did tell the captain my concerns and emailed the company I would like the divers tag to be more strictly enforced on only touching it if it’s yours.