Diver dies near shipwreck off coast of Long Island

[Former FLL Now MSP Diver]

Diver dies near shipwreck off coast of Long Island

July 1, 2004, 7:45 AM EDT

ATLANTIC BEACH, N.Y. (AP) _ A scuba diver apparently drowned near a sunken shipwreck off the coast of Long Island, police said Thursday.

The 46-year-old Valley Stream man, whose name was not released, was diving at the wreck of the Iberia about three miles off the coast of Jones Beach when he became separated from his regulator and got tangled in his line, Nassau County Police said in a news release.

Police said a fellow diver noticed the victim's motionless body and brought it to the boat, where he attempted CPR.

Police and paramedics met the boat at Atlantic Beach Bridge and took the victim to St. John's Episcopal Hospital South Shore, where he was pronounced dead. The apparent drowning was being considered an accident, police said.

The Iberia, a freighter that sank in 1888 after a collision with another vessel, is now a destination for scuba divers.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/w...ul01,0,5531711.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire

Marc

 

[sea nmf]

So, he must have been diving solo? These are the sort of "accident" reports that drive me crazy. The only piece of information is that a diver died while underwater. But if the source is the media, then that is about all you can expect.

My condolences to his family and friends.

 

[TTSkipper]

There is a little more info in this article

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lidive0702,0,7486226.story?coll=ny-linews-headlines

 

[Foo]

I know I'm a new diver, so I probably say some stupid things here- but how could he become "separated from his regulator" and so entangled in his line that his buddy didn't notice and help him? Evidently the buddy was not close enough to see that there were issues. At least one of the other 3 divers should have noticed that he was not with them, before 30 minutes into the dive. I hope I never get so "comfortable" with diving that I don't feel the need to watch out for my buddy and expect the same from him/her.

My heartfelt condolences go to this man's family. This is so sad.

Foo

 

[DEEPLOU]

So, he must have been diving solo? These are the sort of "accident" reports that drive me crazy. The only piece of information is that a diver died while underwater. But if the source is the media, then that is about all you can expect.

My condolences to his family and friends.

I will start out with my condolences to his family and friends also.
But the tone of the post seems to make a condesending supposition about his dive.

More information is needed regarding this one. Since it is in my own back yard it especially concerns me.

What I do know is that the wreck where this happened is one of our shallowest wrecks. It is actually one of the wrecks that local divers will do first due to its depth (60ft).
There is no penetration, its all broken up.

Hopefully, tomorrow we will get some additional information.

 

[Former FLL Now MSP Diver]

Diver dies near shipwreck off Atlantic Beach

BY TOMOEH MURAKAMI TSE
STAFF WRITER

July 2, 2004

Anthony Lobue enjoyed the routine of gazing at the calm water, chatting with fellow divers and strapping on his scuba gear before plunging into the underwater world that captivated him.

But a late-night dive on Wednesday was his last.

Lobue, 46, of Valley Stream, apparently drowned after becoming entangled in his own safety line 60 feet under water, near a century-old shipwreck three miles south of Atlantic Beach, Nassau police said. The Iberia, which sank in 1888, rests halfway between Debs and Jones inlets, in an area known to divers as Wreck Valley.

According to police, Lobue and three other recreational divers headed to sea on The Karen, a 42-foot dive boat based at Gerritsen Beach in Brooklyn. They went into the water around 9:40 p.m., and about 30 minutes later, one of the three crew members found Lobue snarled in his own safety line, said Homicide Squad Commander Det. Lt. Dennis Farrell.

"He was found unconscious," Farrell said. "The mate [from the dive boat] ... was just cutting away at every part of the line" to untangle Lobue. The cause of death is under investigation.

Divers carry what is known as a wreck reel, so they can put out a safety line to find their way back to the anchor line attached to the boat.

The crew member who found Lobue was down at the sea bottom looking for lobster, police said, and fetched one of the divers' safety lines to lead him back to the anchor line. Instead of finding the anchor line, the crew member found Lobue, a computer technician turned day trader. He brought Lobue's unconscious body to the surface and the boat took him to the Atlantic Beach Bridge. From there, Lobue was taken to St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway, where he was pronounced dead at 11:37 p.m. on Wednesday.

Peter Lobue said his younger brother began scuba diving 15 years ago and loved diving for lobster and exploring wrecks. Lobue immigrated to the United States from Italy in 1972, and graduated from Valley Stream High School.

"He liked to discover things and see things," said Peter Lobue, 56, of Valley Stream. Besides his brother, Lobue is survived by an older sister, Maria Castronovo.

"There's no way of knowing how he was entangled in his line," said Robert Hayes, captain of The Karen. Hayes said he had taken Lobue out many times over the past 12 years and believed Lobue had gone on at least 200 dives.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lidive0702,0,7486226.story?coll=ny-linews-headlines

 

[qglad]

Does anyone no anything about this boat or the Iberia? I know this thread belongs in the accidents forum but this happened in our back yard. I would be interested if anyone could offer some background information. In addition, I would say this also brings to our attention the need to be well trained in the type of diving we do. Comments?

BY TOMOEH MURAKAMI TSE
STAFF WRITER

July 2, 2004

Lobue, 46, of Valley Stream, apparently drowned after becoming entangled in his own safety line 60 feet under water, near a century-old shipwreck three miles south of Atlantic Beach, Nassau police said. The Iberia, which sank in 1888, rests halfway between Debs and Jones inlets, in an area known to divers as Wreck Valley.

According to police, Lobue and three other recreational divers headed to sea on The Karen, a 42-foot dive boat based at Gerritsen Beach in Brooklyn. They went into the water around 9:40 p.m., and about 30 minutes later, one of the three crew members found Lobue snarled in his own safety line, said Homicide Squad Commander Det. Lt. Dennis Farrell.

"He was found unconscious," Farrell said. "The mate [from the dive boat] ... was just cutting away at every part of the line" to untangle Lobue. The cause of death is under investigation.

Divers carry what is known as a wreck reel, so they can put out a safety line to find their way back to the anchor line attached to the boat.

The crew member who found Lobue was down at the sea bottom looking for lobster, police said, and fetched one of the divers' safety lines to lead him back to the anchor line. Instead of finding the anchor line, the crew member found Lobue, a computer technician turned day trader. He brought Lobue's unconscious body to the surface and the boat took him to the Atlantic Beach Bridge. From there, Lobue was taken to St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway, where he was pronounced dead at 11:37 p.m. on Wednesday.

Peter Lobue said his younger brother began scuba diving 15 years ago and loved diving for lobster and exploring wrecks. Lobue immigrated to the United States from Italy in 1972, and graduated from Valley Stream High School.

"He liked to discover things and see things," said Peter Lobue, 56, of Valley Stream. Besides his brother, Lobue is survived by an older sister, Maria Castronovo.

"There's no way of knowing how he was entangled in his line," said Robert Hayes, captain of The Karen. Hayes said he had taken Lobue out many times over the past 12 years and believed Lobue had gone on at least 200 dives

 

[sea nmf]

I will start out with my condolences to his family and friends also.
But the tone of the post seems to make a condesending supposition about his dive.

More information is needed regarding this one. Since it is in my own back yard it especially concerns me.

What I do know is that the wreck where this happened is one of our shallowest wrecks. It is actually one of the wrecks that local divers will do first due to its depth (60ft).
There is no penetration, its all broken up.

Hopefully, tomorrow we will get some additional information.

My meaning was misconstrued, then. My intention was that the newspaper article left so much out of the report that it is meaningless. Some items that would have been helpful are:

Did he have a buddy? What is the report from the buddy?

I don't mean to place blame on anyone or imply that I would have done things differently. Just that the media rarely gets enough information to help other divers avoid similar accidents, if at all possible.

 

[cdennyb]

Curious why there was no mention of his "back up" reg hanging around his neck in case of problems with the primary?
Sounds like a panic situation to me that got real out of hand. I've been tangled and the surge of panic is a definate "by-product" of it. I was able to keep my cool and actually remember I had a knife and pair of shears and plenty of gas so think it over, and systematically start cuttin' stuff loose. I had a buddy too but he wasn't able to get to me for about a minute or two, certainly plenty of time to drown if I had freaked out instead of thought it out.

Condolences to his family, relatives, and friends.

db

 

[pescador775]

Geez,
That's a strange one. Reminds me of the old Sea Hunt series where Lloyd Bridges was always being trapped under a boulder or ensnared by sea weed. No reels in those days for most divers although ice divers always rigged up a return line. Wonder if he had a knife?