Female Diver Missing on The Yukon, San Diego

[Thiad]

My condolences to the family and to all those involved. I've done a penetration dive on the wreck - something it is very well suited for, and dove it maybe 9 or 10 times for photos. It is deep and it can be difficult when surge picks up and visibility drops. My penetration was done at roughly 85' - so you get in, you get out and you don't waste time. If you're diving air and not watching your bottom times and consumption, I suspect things can go south quickly especially if you're task loading. It's definitely a dive worthy of nitrox and a pony.

The Yukon can be safely dived, and IMHO, safely dived with advanced classes, but one must give it the respect it deserves. I believe this is the second fatality in a class situation this year (another woman in July). That is two divers too many.

 

[wedivebc]

That part concerns me on the part of her buddy and especially her instructor who should have had "care and control" over the student. They didn't know she was missing until they came up. Since she was still on/within the wreck when found deceased, she had presumably never even begun the ascent with them...

I agree, this might be a SOSD situation until you see it is a class being conducted with an instructor. Missing a buddy on a dive is one thing. Missing a student and not knowing their whereabouts during a course is especially serious given the level of training and the environment.
As I have mentioned I am very familiar with the ship and have done hundreds of wreck dives but I found the Yukon to be challenging when I was there. The current and the tidal surge made the outside of the wreck like a washing machine. I don't know anything about the conditions on the day of the accident but I can definitely see the potential for trouble there.

 

[Seiler]

Sad.

Authorities have not officially identified the woman. However, a family member identified her to 10News as 26-year-old Staci Jackson, a Camp Pendleton Marine who is from Philadelphia.

10News - Crews recover body of missing diver found in Yukon dive site off Mission Beach - News Story

 

[FM1520]

I've dove the Yukon many time (outside only) usually a pretty easy dive but with the recent storm I was surprised to hear boats were even going to the Yukon. Attached is a picture.

 

[Bopper]

I don't know anything about the conditions on the day of the accident but I can definitely see the potential for trouble there.

One of the quoted news reports (video portion) indicated 5' to 10' viz at the wreck site. Also we've had storms roll through this weekend which actually prevented me from diving.

 

[Ken Kurtis]

. . . the Yukon about as save as a wreck dive can get.

This is not meant as a slam on Antattack. Although I appreciate the fact that you qualified this with "with proper training" but, in my opnioin, the words "safe" and "wreck" should never be used in the same sentence.

One of the issues I have with the idea of creating diveable wrecks is the notion of "diverizing" them to make them "safe". We can't. They're wrecks. They're inherently dangerous. And no amount of holes, signs, arrows, or other gimmicks we do can change that. Wrecks present hazards when you penetrate that we don't have to deal with on normal recreational dives (none of this necessarily applies if you just enjoy them from outside). Those hazards include entanglement, disorientation, losing your way, snagging yourself on pieces of wreckage, loss of free ascent options in OOA situations, loss of visibility due to silting, and probably a few others.

Wrecks are basically caves that used to float. And I'm guessing that many divers would consider the phrase "safe cave" to be an oxymoron. By thinking wrecks can somehow be considered "safe" I think lulls us, as a diving community, into a false sense of security. Because when things are "safe" you tend to let your guard down and that's when accidents occur. I would rather see us shout "DANGER, DANGER, DANGER!!!" about wrecks and add "ENJOY THEM FROM OUTSIDE BUT NOT INSIDE".

- Ken

 

[ScubaDad1968]

Yea flots am, I was wondering that too. Whenever there is a dive accident, i tend to want to know what to learn from it. I'm very sad for the woman and her family.
But my safety mind wants to know what went wrong. reporting these types of stats and reasons helps all of us.

 

[mdb]

I've dove the Yukon many time (outside only) usually a pretty easy dive but with the recent storm I was surprised to hear boats were even going to the Yukon. Attached is a picture.

Like You FM1520 I've been on the Yukon a number of times. I was also surprised that boats were going out in storm surf.

 

[wskp530]

10News - Crews recover body of missing diver found in Yukon dive site off Mission Beach - News Story

"Lifeguards said the woman experienced a problem with her buoyancy apparatus.Her dive partner saw that she needed help but went up to the surface too quickly and became disoriented. He was taken to a local hospital to be checked out.
Due to choppy seas, the current pushed the woman next to the Yukon and she became entangled in some ropes, according to lifeguards."

So sad =(..............Other than the two buoy lines, I don't remember there being any other "rope" on that wreck......strange.....haven't been on the yukon in several months though....

 

[Slater]

I would imagine there was an instructor & an additional dm, with only 4 students how can they make it to the surface & not realize theyre one short? Or did they look around the wreck for a short period & then decided to make the ascent after not locating her?
I too want to learn from this as seems like simple mistakes can be avoided & not cost a life...
We werent there & we may never know, very sad!