La Jolla Shores fatality - California

[DandyDon]

Diver rescued at La Jolla Shores later dies | UTSanDiego.com

LA JOLLA — A diver who was found unconscious on Saturday afternoon after he got pinned on a sea wall at La Jolla Shores later died, authorities said.
The man was diving with a partner south of The Marine Room restaurant on Spindrift Drive about 12:50 p.m. when he ended up too close to the sea wall and was unable to free himself, San Diego lifeguard Lt. Nick Lerma said.
The water, lightly choppy with small waves, kept the diver pushed into the wall. The diver’s partner was also unable to free him.
Lifeguards and bystanders — including people with dive scooters — converged to help free the man, who was unconscious when he was brought ashore by lifeguards, Lerma said. Lifeguards performed CPR and transported him to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.
The man later died, lifeguard Lt. John Everhart said.
Everhart said the incident occurred at the south end of La Jolla Shores in an area of relatively shallow water that cannot be seen by lifeguards.

 

[FM1520]

Being a resident of San Diego, I dive La Jolla a lot and the I have dove the Marine Room a fair amount as well. La Jolla shores and the Marine Room is all one beach but the Marine Room area is more protected and shallow compared to La Jolla Shores. I'm surprised to hear that current was strong enough to keep him pinned but up against a sea wall the water can be deceptively strong. We will learn more over the next two days as the info from those who were there spreads.

 

[drbill]

As usual, Don is right on top of this! Don't know how you do it (although I first read of it last night on another, local board). I've dived the Marine Room and wonder how this could have happewned so I'll have to wait for further word on it. My condolences to the diver's family and friends.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I assume the article is referring to the seawall along the shore and not the ledge underwater. He must have surfaced too far south and was pushed into shore before he could reach the sandy beach to the north.

 

[mdb]

Been diving that Marine Room area wall many times.

I've had dinner in the Marine Room when the waves were halfway up the glass.

This site is not as benign as some may think.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I've entered the water from the stairs during high tide. Were the waves big there Saturday? I wonder if he lost consciousness after hitting the wall.

 

[FM1520]

I assume the article is referring to the seawall along the shore and not the ledge underwater. He must have surfaced too far south and was pushed into shore before he could reach the sandy beach to the north.

Thats my guess.

 

[Hatul]

I've entered the water from the stairs during high tide. Were the waves big there Saturday? I wonder if he lost consciousness after hitting the wall.

It's my favorite shore site in SD. That was my thinking as well that he may have hit his head on the sea wall, otherwise as long as you have air you should be able to make your way north to the beach.

My method is to surface at around 10-15 ft after safety stop and take a corrective bearing before exiting, so if you're off in a bad area you have time to correct.

 

[Bopper]

The victim has been identified:

Man who died after diving emergency identified

Posted: May 13, 2013 7:55 AM PDT Updated: May 13, 2013 7:58 AM PDT

LA JOLLA (CNS) - Friends and family Monday mourned a 54-year-old Chula Vista man who died after he lost consciousness in shallow waters while scuba diving off La Jolla Shores Beach.

Lawrence Edward Yates was found floating face down near the south end of La Jolla Shores Beach about 11:45 a.m. Saturday, according to San Diego lifeguards and the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office.

Yates and another diver were completing a short dive in fairly shallow water when Yates was pinned up against a sea wall by the elements, San Diego lifeguard Lt. Nick Lerma said.
"He was unable to extract himself," Lerma said. "The other diver attempted to help him, but (Yates) seemed to be unconscious."

Lifeguards pulled Yates from the water and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation until paramedics arrived, he said.

Paramedics then rushed Yates to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where he was pronounced dead at 1:45 p.m. Saturday.

 

[Gunrock]

Sad to hear this. I no longer live in La Jolla but I must have done at least 150 dives at the Marine Room over the years. Perhaps he had a medical emergency brought on by the stress of the situation? It appears the dive ended near high tide. High tide can make this entry/exit tricky because even small swells pound against the seawall, then reflect northwards, meaning you're getting hit by swells from two directions. Tide was 3.9 feet, which isn't particularly high if memory serves me correctly. High tides in the 6 foot range were enough to make me cancel dive plans there. It seemed to me that the higher the tide, the more force the waves had when hitting the seawall, even when the swells were very small.

I do recall one year doing a night dive on July 4th at high tide. It was a bad idea but I was fixated on the idea of swimming out, watching fireworks from the water, then doing a dive. On my way in I passed a group of kayakers exiting via the stairs. The water was high but the swell wasn't bad. I watched the fireworks as planned. But when I surfaced after my dive I could see the waves had gotten much bigger, and spray from the waves pounding the seawall must have been shooting 25 feet in the air! I did not even attempt to exit by the stairs. Instead I swam north to the boat launch area, exited, dropped my weights and walked 10-15 minutes back to my car. I bumped into the kayakers again, who said they were relieved to see me because they were afraid for my safety. I was embarrassed because I clearly should have scratched diving that night but I did make a safe exit.

Like Hatul said, it makes sense to surface early enough to confirm your location and evaluate the exit. If you're still seeing rocks then you're too far south to be thinking about exiting. The area in front of the restaurant/stairs is pure sand all the way to the canyon. Other than that one night dive I never had an anxious moment at Marine Room. I was more worried about my car getting broken into.

If it's still being offered, I would recommend the 3Rs program (Rocks, Rips and Reefs) that was being offered when I lived in the area. Retired lifeguards take groups into the water and teach them all about how to safely navigate shore entry/exits, avoid hazards, and what to do if you end up pinned against rocks. Just the sort of things you need to know for diving La Jolla's rocky reef sites. Stay safe.