Diving Accident on Monterey Dive Boat

[Bogie]

I hope this is totally wrong but I was talking to a dive shop person in Monterey and he said a man died today while diving on one of the dive boats in Monterey.

I have more specifics but want to keep the information general in case it is incorrect.

He knew very specific details.

Did anyone hear anything about this incident.

I hope it is an incorrect.

 

[davidbaraff]

I believe this is unfortunately correct.

 

[DiverInSF]

Bogie,

Unfortunately, the information you got is correct. We were diving in Point Lobos today and around lunch time, a police car came down the hill to the parking lot, closely followed by Cal Fire and the paramedics. They launched a rescue boat that left the reserve, met a commercial dive boat and came back with an unconscious man in his 50s. The rescue team was doing CPR in the boat and continued on land, but he still had no breathing or pulse when they loaded him into the ambulance ~15 minutes later. There was an MD (bystander) that assisted with the rescue attempt and followed the paramedics to the hospital. He came back to Whaler's Cove and said that, unfortunately, the diver didn't make it.

Does anyone have further information on what happened on the boat? It looked like the Silver Prince (I know they were running a trip to Carmel today), but I couldn't tell from where I was standing.

I'm sure I speak for the entire Northern California diving community, when I say that our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family.

 

[Bogie]

I was told this information from someone in a dive shop in Monterey Area. I cannot verify or guarantee any accuracy of this occurrence.

The dive Boat was the Silver Prince diving in the Carmel area.
A man about 57 died.
Apparently he went diving with two other divers. They descended and the two lost the site of the man.
They did not surface and continued diving.
There was a dive master on board that noticed a fin. She went out to retrieve the fin. She looked down and noticed a light on the ocean floor. She thought someone dropped their light. She descended safely found the light source. She picked up the camera with strobe and she was shocked to find out it was attached to a man lying on the bottom, mask in place, regulator out, unconscious. The depth was about 60 to 80 feet; she brought the man to the surface, signaled the boat and they got him on deck quickly. The dive master did an excellent job. They gave CPR rigorously. The man failed to recover.

It was said that the dive master went beyond excellence; she aborted her safety stop and got him to the surface professionally. The boat crew reacted as quickly as possible getting him on board and performing CPR.

I wish condolences to family, friends, and everyone who was involved.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Point Lobos rescue attempt - MontereyHerald.com :

but has less than has been posted here.

I'm surprised the DM could see a light on the bottom in 60-80', given the recent vis
reports and my own experience at Pt. Lobos on Saturday.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Also, a DM swimming out to recover a floating fin is not likely to gear up wth SCUBA.

There's more to this.

 

[DiverInSF]

I was also surprised by the fact that the DM could see the light from the surface.

Point Lobos was very murky on Sunday. 10 feet of viz at best. Even if conditions were better in Carmel, they would have had 15 feet - not enough to see a light that far below the surface.

 

[pacificgal]

The diver has been identified, an autopsy will be done today to determine the cause.

 

[DandyDon]

From http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_16065169?nclick_check=1

A scuba diver who was pulled from the water off Point Lobos State Natural Reserve Sunday died after he was taken to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, authorities said today.

Andrew Witkin, 58, of Oakland was unresponsive when he was found by rescuers in about 50 feet of water, Monterey County Sheriff's-Coroner officials said in a prepared statement.

After he was pulled from the ocean and brought ashore in a boat, Witkin was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy is scheduled for today.

 

[Jarred Fedor]

: ( Sorry to have to hear about this one. Hopefully we all can figure out what had happened.