Female Diver Missing on The Yukon, San Diego

[Ken Kurtis]

I would imagine there was an instructor & an additional dm . . .

"Imagine" is the key (troublesome) phrase here. Let's be careful about speculating boys & girls. It's one thing to say "these are some of the hazards that exist that might factor in". It's quite another to concoct a scenario based on pure guesswork and not facts. Doesn't do anyone any good.

Off my no-speculation soapbox (for now).

- Ken

---------- Post added December 2nd, 2012 at 04:47 PM ----------

More info from the NBC station in San Diego. They refer to it as a group dive, not a class (which doesn't mean it couldn't have been a class), and mention that the victim's buddy tried to bring her up but couldn't (and was apparently treated as a result of that attempt.) Point is that this info, if correct, is slightly different than some of the previous information. Which is why we always caution to try to avoid jumping to conclusions until all the true facts are known.

Here's the link: Diver's Body Recovered off Mission Beach | NBC 7 San Diego

- Ken

 

[wedivebc]

Good reminder Ken. I lost a friend and very experienced diver due to an unseen danger in an otherwise sanitized artificial reef.

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

 

[peterbj7]

Conflicting statements here. It's said that she was an AOW student and was diving in a group. Does that mean a group class? Whatever, there is no way a diver with this level of inexperience should have been penetrating a wreck. Some serious questions need to be asked and answered here.

 

[vladimir]

"Imagine" is the key (troublesome) phrase here. Let's be careful about speculating boys & girls. It's one thing to say "these are some of the hazards that exist that might factor in". It's quite another to concoct a scenario based on pure guesswork and not facts. Doesn't do anyone any good.

Off my no-speculation soapbox (for now).

I don't find Slater's speculation troublesome at all. It was clearly labeled as such ("I imagine"), as the forum rules call for. Here is the applicable rule, for those who need to be reminded (regularly):

(7) If your post is your hypothesis, theory, or a "possible scenario," identify it as such.

 

[Gunrock]

While we wait for more info I thought I'd chime in with a little more info on the wreck from a diver's perspective. The Yukon is easily the most impressive wreck in the San Diego area (within recreational limits), and maybe all of CA. It is a popular destination for boat divers and it draws not just locals but many tourists as well. It has been "diverized" as mentioned with large cut-outs and there are multiple mooring lines that can be used to assist ascent and descent.
Having said all of that, I don't think it gets the respect it deserves. Many experienced divers dismiss it as an "easy" dive. Most visitors are in wetsuits and the boats (last time I dove with any of the operators) only provide Al 80s. (I think Waterhorse now has 85s.) The wreck does lie on its side which is disorienting. Water temp on the bottom may be as low as around 50F. Add low visibility, currents, and swell and it can make for a challenging dive, especially for people not used to these conditions. On one occasion I watched a diver from Florida enter the water, begin her descent, and then abort the dive almost immediately. Another time a small private boat was swamped at the site, dumping double rigs and scooters to the bottom. Even on a good day, between the depth and the water temperature an 80 cubic foot tank can go very quickly indeed. As I got more experienced I preferred to dive the Yukon only in a drysuit and with my own steel 100s. I found that made the site MUCH more enjoyable vice freezing my tail off and keeping my eyes glued to my SPG.

 

[Bopper]

Whatever, there is no way a diver with this level of inexperience should have been penetrating a wreck. Some serious questions need to be asked and answered here.

Do we know she had penetrated the wreck? In my mind I keep thinking she was outside of it. But I haven't seen anything that explained if she was inside or outside.

EDIT: Actually from the link posted from NBC news above, it seems she was found outside the wreck:
​

According to lifeguard Lt. Andy Lerum, the woman’s body was recovered just outside the USS Yukon shipwreck diving site, which rests approximately 100 feet below surface.

“Underneath the ship is a crevice – kind of an opening – that was the location they found the body,” explained Lt. Lerum.

If my memory serves, since the Yukon is tilted on its side, the sand creates a wedge-shaped sunken "gap" that runs along the top of the hull (at the deck) where it meets the ocean floor. A weird place to be "entangled".
[END OF EDIT]
​

I don't find Slater's speculation troublesome at all. It was clearly labeled as such ("I imagine"), as the forum rules call for. Here is the applicable rule, for those who need to be reminded (regularly):

Well said. You're much more diplomatic than I am.


Some new details:

Diver's body recovered identified as local Marine


SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - The body of a missing scuba diver off of Mission Beach has been recovered and identified as a Camp Pendleton Marine.


The body of 26-year-old Staci Jackson was found inside the Yukon, a sunken ship about a mile and a half off the coast.

Staci was diving with a group Saturday afternoon but never resurfaced.

Lifeguard officials say her death was accidental.

News 8 spoke with the diver who located her body. He says, she was entangled and that it did look "suspicious." Meanwhile, Jackson's relatives are wondering, due to the rough weather conditions Saturday, why she was in the water in the first place.

Harold Jackson waited anxiously by the Quivira Basin on Sunday as lifeguards recovered the body of his 26-year-old niece, Staci. Relatives say, Staci had five years of diving experience.


The Philadelphia native moved to San Diego two and a half years ago as a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton.

Saturday, Staci was among six divers, including an instructor and divemaster aboard the Humboldt, a vessel owned by Waterhorse Charters.

Lifeguards say, Staci was diving alongside her partner when she got into trouble.

Someone with the diving group, who did not want to go on camera, tells News 8 they were exploring the Yukon as part of a divemaster certification course. According to him, the visibility underwater was very low at the time when Staci and the divemaster got separated from the rest of the group.

When the divemaster came up without her, they called lifeguards for help.

But it was he who actually located Staci.


The source says, her feet were bound with rope and that the circumstances were "weird."

When News 8 asked if her death is suspicious, lifeguards say while she was entangled, it was likely due to the currents and not a criminal or self-inflicted act.


Lifeguards say the case is still under investigation.

 

[Divedoggie]

The Yukon (at left) is a very nice wreck covered with strawberry anemone, nudis, various crabs, and the spectacle of the wreck itself. I have found it to be beautiful, exciting, and interesting.

It is deep, dark and cold, and there are often currents and surge. Proper planning, environmental protection, buddy/team communication, and discipline should be adhered to. If the dive plan calls for wreck penetration, the divers should have the proper training or should be highly supervised if it is part of their specialized training.

IMO proper protocol and discipline should be observed on any and every dive, even if some dives are more forgiving than others. The Yukon shouldn't be prejudged as an inappropriate dive site. Conditions can make the most innocuous dive sites poor choices on any given day.

As more information about this sad accident comes out, we can further analyze. Based on the latest info however, BCD failure, buddy protocol, and Instructor/student control could have been problematic on any dive site and seem to contribute to this tragedy more than being on the wreck itself.
Having spent a few days diving from the Humboldt, I can imagine how desperate, frightened and horrified the group felt. IMO the captain and crew are true professionals and likely made all the right calls.

May the young lady RIP. May her family find peace.

 

[Hatul]

When the viz drops down to 5 feet or so it's quite dark down there and can be very disorienting. In my last dive there I was buddied up with someone who was visiting and renting gear and had no light. I handed him my backup light and when I turned back we lost sight of the wreck. We decided to abort the dive, held on to each other and did a blue-water ascent. It was quite a disorienting experience and had to carefully monitor rate of ascent by computer.

Other times it's been an easy fun dive.

 

[antattack]

The good people at Waterhorse Charters issued this statement

 

[Power Scuba]

Solid statement from the charter boat company. Clears up a few misconceptions I've seen thrown around on the net:

The deceased was participating in a Wreck Specialty Course, which can involve penetration, although Lifeguard reports state she was found outside the wreck in the "crevice". The crevice is well known to anyone who's dove the site more than a few times. There are a few old lines from broken moorings and lobster traps to be found in the crevice, though it would be tough for a conscious diver to get inextricably tangled in the same. Anyone who went unconscious pretty much anywhere along the "front side" of the wreck could well find themselves rolled down into the crevice.

I've seen reports she was involved in a Dive Master cert course... which may be true in a roundabout way. Marines on Camp Pendelton can opt for a "zero to hero" certification pipeline that takes them from an open water cert all the way to a Dive Master cert over the course of time. They (more accurately the shop) are provided tuition assistance from the military/government/VA for this pipeline. So, at any point in a Marine's training pipeline one could state they were involved in a Dive Master certification endeavor and perhaps be technically correct.

I await more details of this incident with interest.

Bill Powers

-----------------------------

Following is a statement from the ownership of Waterhorse Charters:


We are deeply saddened by the death of a diver off of one of our charters and our sympathies are with Staci Jackson’s family at this time. We are hopeful that authorities will have answers regarding what happened in the near future. Based on what our staff witnessed and the information relayed from those who found Ms. Jackson’s body, we are hopeful that further investigation will take place to discover the true cause of this tragedy.
Ms. Jackson was working on her Wreck Diving Specialty Class, which is an advanced certification course, and was out diving with an instructor and dive master from a local dive shop in the Oceanside area, as well as three other students. While we cannot comment on specifics of what happened in the water during Ms Jackson’s dive, those questions will have to be answered by the dive shop’s instructor and the authorities, we can relay that our captain was alerted to the disappearance of Ms Jackson by her class’ dive master prior to the rest of her class surfacing and we began simultaneous searches and calls to the Coast Guard at that time. Ms Jackson was discovered on Saturday by her instructor and classmate who attempted to cut her lose from the ropes she was found tangled in – and as has been reported, she was then recovered by San Diego Lifeguards on Sunday morning.
We want to ensure San Diego’s diving community, that as always, Waterhorse Charters conducted the charter with safety as our first priority. Local divers often opt for a boat charter during high surf advisories as diving off the beach during such conditions can be hazardous. There were no small craft advisories in effect and based on the experience level of the divers involved and the conditions we witnessed in traveling to the Yukon, we did not see any reason to cancel the boat charter.

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