Diver incident in La Jolla: Dec 20, 2009

[Fuzzmutton]

I had my only near-drowning event take place while trying to get through the surf zone at La Jolla, I believe I posted about it here. Reading about that poor woman made me feel very sad.

Fuzz

 

[Tricia]

Thanks Fuzzmuttom for making me feel better. My original dive training was in 1990 with the YMCA in San Diego and for our shore dive, we were at La Jolla. I will never forget crawling out afterwards and laying there like a beached whale, gasping for breath. Some little kids nearby started screaming! (Maybe they thought I was a sea monster with all that gear ) And I remember being quite puzzled, thinking, "But this never happens to James Bond!"

There and then, I became a boat diver. I did have to do a shore dive for my ultimate PADI training in Egypt and I found it was the worst part of the course. Some of us are made for shore diving and some of us are made for boats.

Trish

 

[merxlin]

At 61, Mrs. Bottomtime dives the rocky entry at Marineland a few times each month and she's not the oldest diver in our group.

This is a modest statement, and kudos to the regulars who dive there. The trail (now paved and very nice, previously was not, and I know they dove it way before it was paved) is .5-.6 miles from the parking area and relatively steep. It seems to get steeper on the way back than on the way down. Not sure how that happens. That is one reason it is rarely crowded with divers.

Ocean shore diving takes a different set of skills and commitment than a boat dive does for sure. Tides, surf, run-off, boat trafiic, all play a part. There are some very nice areas that minimize these but they never go away. Be prepared and dive within your training.

 

[jridg]

I actually enjoy shore diving. Last Sunday we did a rather sporty entry in Del Mar - Not recommended for everyone.....

Certainly not the norm - La Jolla Shores tends to be ankle/knee slappers most of the time.

 

[cruiser]

I actually enjoy shore diving. Last Sunday we did a rather sporty entry in Del Mar - Not recommended for everyone.....

Certainly not the norm - La Jolla Shores tends to be ankle/knee slappers most of the time.

Looks challenging. I'd sure have my regulator handy

 

[Mike Boswell]

I haven't there, but they seem to do it a lot in southern California, and it's cheaper than a boat dive. Also a seems like a lot of work, depending on how close to the water you can park, how well you are set up for gearing up at the vehicle, etc. Doing such on a pickup tailgate in a parking lot in New Mexico with a 50 ft walk to the steps tires me out with 7 mil suit and enough lead to sink with the suit. If they had to walk further, then deal with any surf at all, it'd be challenging for some - would be for me.

My wife and I do both shore diving at La Jolla and boat diving off the coast. We are in our 60's, and yes, rolling off the boat is easier than hiking across the beach with all your gear on. But we are getting used to it and, on any given day at La Jolla, there are dozens of average folks - men, women, and children - out there doing it.

Getting through the surf zone with your hands full and your gear on, it is easy to get knocked over by waves, and hard to get back up. It takes a little practice to figure it out.

People who grow up playing in the surf develop the skills to do it without thinking. But those who walk out into the ocean for the first time are often surprised - and sometimes injured or killed - by the power of even small ocean waves. As a youth I pulled several badly bashed-up, half-drowned tourists out of the surf at Sandy Beach and Makapuu.

As of this writing I have not heard any further details about this fatality.

 

[Fuzzmutton]

Tricia-

Don't get me wrong, I love shore diving! I just prep more for the area and try to stay in better physical shape. Weak leg muscles are not good when you are a woman diving with 80 lbs. of gear on you.

I had been diving up in Monterey for a while previously and thought it was no problem but my husband and I happened to drive down to La Jolla right after a storm (vacation timing) and we weren't going to waste an opportunity to dive while we were there. It wasn't REAL bad surf, just stronger and higher than I was used to and I didn't have the leg strength to keep myself from getting knocked down or to maneuver myself once I did. I should have had my reg in my mouth and it would have been much easier. You better believe I went back to the gym after that.

Fuzz