Catalina island diver missing - California

[Regulated]

Not abalone, not anymore.
Abalone was a Norcal thing, and yes about 8 freedivers per year on average would die abalone diving.
People can get obsessed hunting and make bad decisions. They could take risks that they normally wouldn’t take otherwise.
I’m not saying that was the case here because nobody really knows what happened.
Condolences to his friends and family.

True. I shudder when I think of my various solo free dives for abalone at Fort Ross (NorCal) as a starving student in the 1980s. There I was, looking all seal-like in a wetsuit and fins, totally focused on the red abs that fringed the ironshore. Thank goodness the great whites were somewhere else and no rip current pulled me out to sea without a flotation device or signal. in the years before that, my buddy and I took ridiculous risks while shore diving from the rocks at Sunset Cliffs in San Diego for the same purpose. (Sadly, the SoCal abs are all gone now.)

My guardian angel must be exhausted. So I too sympathize with the lost diver and the grieving family. There but for the grace of God...

 

[Still Kicking]

(Sadly, the SoCal abs are all gone now.)

Off topic ...So Cal abs are coming back strong in certain places. Unfortunately so are the poachers, judging by the number of fresh empty shells I see.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

So sorry to see this. I thought it was only Florida that had senseless fatalities during lobster season. Very sad.

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

Off topic ...So Cal abs are coming back strong in certain places. Unfortunately so are the poachers, judging by the number of fresh empty shells I see.

I too have been seeing piles of fresh green ab shells, especially in Laguna Beach's MLPA. While I am sure there is some poaching taking place I have a theory about the source of a majority of those empty fresh shells that came from direct observation. There is nothing scientific about my theory whatsoever, just what I have seen. And I could be wrong. Here goes.

There is currently an overabundance of Sheepshead in Laguna's MLPA compared to any time in the last 55 years I have been diving Laguna. So much so that for a few years now I have seen schools of 100+ Sheepshead move onto a reef and rip lobster out of their holes and tear them apart to feed. A few months ago I came across such a feeding frenzy but they were feeding on several abalone that were dislodged from the rocks. In the old days we use to pop abs off with our hands if you got them before they clamped down so I don't see why a big Sheepshead couldn't dislodge one. Then I saw a Sheepshead do exactly that. So my theory is that due to the lack of half-day fishing boats coming in and catching Sheepshead on a daily basis, they have multiplied to the point of an imbalance in the ecosystem and they gotta eat something. Nature will take care of the imbalance over time but for now we are seeing the effect in piles of fresh empty green ab shells.

Again, only my layman's observational opinion. Or, maybe it is all poachers, which would be sad. My 2psi. M

 

[Still Kicking]

I too have been seeing piles of fresh green ab shells, especially in Laguna Beach's MLPA. While I am sure there is some poaching taking place I have a theory about the source of a majority of those empty fresh shells that came from direct observation. There is nothing scientific about my theory whatsoever, just what I have seen. And I could be wrong. Here goes.

There is currently an overabundance of Sheepshead in Laguna's MLPA compared to any time in the last 55 years I have been diving Laguna. So much so that for a few years now I have seen schools of 100+ Sheepshead move onto a reef and rip lobster out of their holes and tear them apart to feed. A few months ago I came across such a feeding frenzy but they were feeding on several abalone that were dislodged from the rocks. In the old days we use to pop abs off with our hands if you got them before they clamped down so I don't see why a big Sheepshead couldn't dislodge one. Then I saw a Sheepshead do exactly that. So my theory is that due to the lack of half-day fishing boats coming in and catching Sheepshead on a daily basis, they have multiplied to the point of an imbalance in the ecosystem and they gotta eat something. Nature will take care of the imbalance over time but for now we are seeing the effect in piles of fresh empty green ab shells.

Again, only my layman's observational opinion. Or, maybe it is all poachers, which would be sad. My 2psi. M

That's plausible and maybe that's the situation.

However, I don't go to Laguna or other MLPAs so there aren't an abundance of big sheephead where I dive. Also, I spent the night at Santa Cruz Island this summer and anchored in a sandy cove. I did a dive in the morning and there were dozens if not hundreds of ab shells scattered on the sand. It looked like commercial-grade poaching to me. I ran into some DFW guys later and gave them a heads up.

 

[Baker_Dive]

I carry these

View attachment 748393

I’d love to be dive buddies lol

 

[Bob DBF]

Another couple survived a 1,000 foot sliding fall in bad shape and the wife had to go for help since she had fewer broken bones than he. Think that they'll buy PLBs now?

More likely they gave up hiking.