Diver incident in La Jolla: Dec 20, 2009

[Mike Boswell]

From: San Diego Union Tribune - Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 12:32 p.m.

"Two pulled from La Jolla surf in separate events Sunday

By Debbi Baker, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Two people were pulled out of the water off La Jolla Sunday morning in back-to-back unrelated rescues.

In the first incident about 9 a.m., husband and wife divers had just got into the water off La Jolla Shores Beach and were in the surf break not far offshore when for unknown reasons she became unconscious, San Diego Lifeguard Lt. Andy Lerum said.

Lifeguards who had just come on duty saw the man struggling to keep his wife afloat and helped him bring her ashore. Rescuers performed CPR on her and she was rushed to a hospital. Lerum said he did not know what caused the woman to lose consciousness.

In the second incident, which was reported about three minutes after the first, a stand up paddle boarder noticed a man floating face down in the water near the La Jolla Cove in what is referred to as the Devil’s Slide area.

He was clad only in pants and had no identification on him, Lerum said.

Although the man showed no significant signs of life rescuers performed advanced life support on him and he was also taken to a hospital.

Lerum said he did not know how the man got into the water nor for how long he had been in it.

Both victims appeared to be in their 50s, Lerums said."

 

[DandyDon]

Neither survived: Two die after being pulled from La Jolla surf - Local Breaking News - SignOnSanDiego.com

 

[jridg]

The woman (diver) who died would not appear (At first glance) to be 'diving related' as they apparently had not even submerged and were making a surf entry. It makes me wonder if she suffered a coronary event.

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

a coronary event.

For those of us without medical training, is that what people used to call a "heart attack?"

 

[jridg]

Yes - again, it's a guess, or I am wondering if that's what happened as the couple had not yet begun the dive (from what I gather).

 

[Oside Jimc]

A very tragic day on the water in San Diego...:depressed:

 

[pasley]

If it turns out to be a heart attack I bet they will still call it a SCUBA accident because she had gear on. That is the tough thing in our sport, if a golfer has a heart attack and dies it is a heart attach, if a SCUBA diver has a heart attack and dies it is a SCUBA accident. Too bad about both of them. I fell for the families.

 

[muddiver]

Also if they were in the surf zone it is possible that she pounded by a wave and tramatically injured. People with broken necks tend to be unconscious.

 

[Ken Kurtis]

If it turns out to be a heart attack I bet they will still call it a SCUBA accident because she had gear on.

I still think that would be a fair charactarization. She was certainly engaged in the diving activity in that, even though she wasn't underwater, entry/exit is part of the routine of the beach dive. (It also may help drive home thoughts that (1) beach diving is not for everyone, and (2) it may require a higher level of fitness than boat diving.)

And one of the things I've rasied lately when we've been discussing these types of issues is trying to answer the question "Would this have happened on this date at this time if they hadn't been diving?"

In other words, if the stresses of the beach entry is what triggered the heart attack (disclaimer: purely speculative that that's what actually happened) then isn't it fair to call it a SCUBA accident since the entry is part of the dive?

- Ken

 

[jridg]

Ken,

I agree, SCUBA related. Yet not due to equipment malfunction or poor decision by the diver (I think). The entry in that area tends to be relatively benign. I don't know for a fact that it was that day, but it tends to be. Just as a diver experiencing a heart attack while at depth. That event would be SCUBA related, yet my personal opinion is that it would have happened, while not necessarily at that exact moment, soon enough to not make a whole lot of difference.....