fisheater
Contributor
Sam: Please start a new thread and tell us about the Battle of Laguna Beach.
Diver found missing in Laguna's Shaw's Cove
- Thread starter Hatul
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Bopper
Contributor
You're right and I shouldn't have posted those specific comments (the personal ones). I apologize for that. However, I stand behind my other comments regarding the hypocritical logic applied to what is considered passable speculation. That's it for me here! Thanks.
<PURE SPECULATION>
One way I see this unfolding is, like was said, an instructor was leading a group of buddied-up divers. One of the brand new divers lost their buddy, but since everybody looks the same to a brand new diver (and to a lot of experienced divers for that matter),the buddy latched on to another "diver in a wetsuit" and thought that was their buddy. At one point the instructor stops to assess, realizes there's an odd number, tries to figure out who's who and can't, asks everyone to make a safe ascent and at that point the buddy who lost their buddy realizes of it. It gets relayed to the media as a "headcount" when in reality there was more to the story than that. <END SPECULATION>
i totally agree.. Remember that if these were students they were probably all wearing the same rental gear and looked exactly the same. It's easy to see how a buddy gets confused and loses track of who's who. The Instructor does a count but it's to late. My heart grieves for the family.
One way I see this unfolding is, like was said, an instructor was leading a group of buddied-up divers. One of the brand new divers lost their buddy, but since everybody looks the same to a brand new diver (and to a lot of experienced divers for that matter),the buddy latched on to another "diver in a wetsuit" and thought that was their buddy. At one point the instructor stops to assess, realizes there's an odd number, tries to figure out who's who and can't, asks everyone to make a safe ascent and at that point the buddy who lost their buddy realizes of it. It gets relayed to the media as a "headcount" when in reality there was more to the story than that. <END SPECULATION>
i totally agree.. Remember that if these were students they were probably all wearing the same rental gear and looked exactly the same. It's easy to see how a buddy gets confused and loses track of who's who. The Instructor does a count but it's to late. My heart grieves for the family.
Last edited:
WendyB
Registered
I would like to say (not that its going to help matters much),I was there when this happened.I believe i was the first to call 911.I remained thru out the search to stay with his wife.Everything that has been reported by news papers,in print and on line,has NOT been very accurate at all.My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone that was involved.I will keep a special place in my heart for his wife. Be safe everyone.
Ayisha
Contributor
Dr Sam, don't talk like that. I hope to see you this summer.
Thanks for the info on Shaw's Cove. Hopefully we will find out what happened at some point...
OP
Hatul
Contributor
Here's a report from LA Times:
Diver who ran out of air off Laguna Beach had separated from class - latimes.com
It would help if we knew if he was found inside the rocky reef or outside.
Diver who ran out of air off Laguna Beach had separated from class - latimes.com
It would help if we knew if he was found inside the rocky reef or outside.
Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Some of this is semantics but . . .
Saying he ran out of air may be jumping the gun a bit. His tank could have emptied because it free-flowed - and it doesn't have to be at a high rate since it was an hour until he was discovered - while he was unconscious on the bottom. If he had an air-integrated downloadable computer, that could shed some light. Hopefully, an examination of the equipment by a competent person familiar with such things will be done. I'm not sure what the Orange County protocols are.
Saying he "separated from the group" makes it sound like something he willingly did. Gives a different impression than if the headline was "Diver who ran out of air had accidentally lost his group in low visibility" or something like that.
If he had willingly separated from the group and was deliberately going off on his own, then the OOA might make more sense as he could have been paying more attention to whatever he was doing than to his air supply (MAKING THIS PART UP - for instance, photographing nudibranches). From what I've been told of his experience level, this scenario seems to me to be unlikely.
However, if he accidentally lost his group how does he run out of air in 25 feet of water? Why not just surface? Did something happen to prevent him from surfacing? Was he so focused on finding the group that he stopped watching his air and ran out? Did he get entangled in kelp? Did the surge push him into a rock and knocked him out? How far into the dive did the separation occur? How much air did he have at that time? What was his general air consumption rate (to compute how long after separation he might have gone OOA). Many questions/scenarios to examine.
- Ken
WendyB
Registered
SB Addict,Im not really familiar with Shaws Cove,My husband and I have only been there one other time with our instructor.We stayed closer to shore to practice skills. So im sorry if my description doesnt help you much.I was walking my grandson on the rocks close to the beach area,when he surfaced and yelled HELP(which still is replaying in my mind when i try to sleep) he was over in the rocky area.I can point to the 2 big rocks he was between.My husband and son ran over to wear the rocky area goes out,but they could not get to him by the time he went back under.He yelled help once. What seemed just a few minutes after his wife was brought to shore and i met her and the instructor walked with her in to sit on the rocks while the instructor went back out there.
Merxlin,I have probably said to much already,I just really don't want to get caught up in anything that may or may not happen.I will say they were newly certified.I just wanted to say not to believe what was written or posted,because it is mostly wrong.I see people making accusations and comments on these articles that aren't accurate.
Merxlin,I have probably said to much already,I just really don't want to get caught up in anything that may or may not happen.I will say they were newly certified.I just wanted to say not to believe what was written or posted,because it is mostly wrong.I see people making accusations and comments on these articles that aren't accurate.
Similar threads
