Lobster diving fatality - Gaviota, California

[Sam Miller III]

@ Dandy Don
There are a number of Personal Flotation Vests (PFV) on the market especially produced for kayaking -- even including several models made for dogs (K-9s)

My wife and I have used Kayaks as a diving/recreation platform for over 25 years and never leave shore without a PFV securely in place on our body. .

It was not reported if the victim had a PFV in use

Nevertheless, it was not at diving accident as reported because of the wet suit- but rather a Kayaking accident

SDM

@Harbor_Seal
@Jhathaway

 

[tursiops]

UPDATE: Diver found dead in Gaviota identified

Santa Barbara County Firefighters responded to a water rescue Saturday morning.

www.ksby.com

Maybe you could change your title?

 

[Bob DBF]

Do you wear a floatation vest on such outings? I know that a wetsuit helps, but for him not so much.

As for divers, a wetsuit is use for thermal protection when kayaking. Not only does it help on a cold night, but it's f'n cold when I wound up in the water without one, even on a sunny day. A wetsuit will keep one afloat, but not keep ones face out of the water when unconscious. And choose the right jacket, some will not your face out of the water either.

 

[DandyDon]

@ Dandy Don
There are a number of Personal Flotation Vests (PFV) on the market especially produced for kayaking -- even including several models made for dogs (K-9s)

My wife and I have used Kayaks as a diving/recreation platform for over 25 years and never leave shore without a PFV securely in place on our body. .

It was not reported if the victim had a PFV in use

Nevertheless, it was not at diving accident as reported because of the wet suit- but rather a Kayaking accident

Glad you wear vests. I reported this thread and another non-diving accident to the Mods. I guess it'll be moved in time.

Maybe you could change your title?

No I can't, not after this much time.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@Bob DBF

"As for divers, a wetsuit is use for thermal protection when kayaking. Not only does it help on a cold night, but it's f'n cold when I wound up in the water without one, even on a sunny day. A wetsuit will keep one afloat, but not keep ones face out of the water when unconscious. And choose the right jacket, some will not your face out of the water either.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I suspect you were not involved during the era of the widespread introduction of the Personal Flotation Vest (PFV) aka Mae West into the diving world.

One very active popular company who has been out of business for many years introduced a PFV designed after a WW11 miliary aviators PFV. It was designed with a large pad behind the neck to provide additional support in the vertical position.

Without field testing it was rushed into the dive market,

A short time later there was a fatality -- a diver surfaced inflated the vest via 2 -CO 2s, head was submerged in the water due to the large head pad.

There was litigation - the victim heirs prevailed, soon thereafter the company ceased to exist.

That event created a big stir in the diving life jacket manufacturing world. All reviewed their designs, tested them and some made necessary changes -- including the additon of the now popular dump valve

Upon examination you will note that now ALL PFV have a small neck collar flotation with the major flotation cavities in the front of the PFV

 

[tursiops]

"As for divers, a wetsuit is use for thermal protection when kayaking. Not only does it help on a cold night, but it's f'n cold when I wound up in the water without one, even on a sunny day. A wetsuit will keep one afloat, but not keep ones face out of the water when unconscious. And choose the right jacket, some will not your face out of the water either.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I suspect you were not involved during the era of the widespread introduction of the Personal Flotation Vest (PFV) aka Mae West into the diving world.

One very active popular company who has been out of business for many years introduced a PFV designed after a WW11 miliary aviators PFV. It was designed with a large pad behind the neck to provide additional support in the vertical position.

Without field testing it was rushed into the dive market,

A short time later there was a fatality -- a diver surfaced inflated the vest via 2 -CO 2s, head was submerged in the water due to the large head pad.

There was litigation - the victim heirs prevailed, soon thereafter the company ceased to exist.

That event created a big stir in the diving life jacket manufacturing world. All reviewed their designs, tested them and some made necessaer changes -- including the now popular dump valve

Upon examination you will note that now ALL PFV have a small neck collar flotatio with the major flotation cavities in the front of the PFV

....and diver BCDs no longer have CO2 cartridges for inflation.

 

[Ken Kurtis]

MAKING SENSE OF ALL OF THIS - WE'RE MIXING METAPHORS
I checked with some of my sources today. Let me see if I can make all of this make sense.

First, let's start with this update of the original article from www.ksby.com:
"(UPDATE: Mon. 11/29) - Santa Barbara County Sheriff's office released the name of the person who died while diving over the weekend. The coroner's office identified the male diver found near Mariposa Reina Saturday morning as Terry Gummerman, 54, of Santa Maria."

Jurisdictionally, this tells us the diver never went to the Chamber. Legally, whatever county you're in when you're declared dead becomes the county of jurisdiction. The Catalina Chamber is in Los Angeles County. Had the kayaker been pronounced there, the LA County Coroner would have taken over. He would not have been returned to Santa Barbara County. The fact that the SB Sheriff and Coroner are issuing statements indicates the kayaker was pronounced in SB County and never left.

But . . .

I had some friends at the USC Wrigley facility on Catalina this past week who saw a diver fatality landing in a Sheriff helicopter at the chamber. I wonder if this was the incident or if it is unrelated?

Yes they did. There was a group of scientific divers from Humboldt State University visiting the Wrigley facilities that also house the Chamber. But what they saw was a helicopter landing on Sunday, November 21, responding to a dive fatality in L.A. County, which was a full week before the kayaker fatality. So no connection.

Apples and oranges and a good example how two unrelated incidents get improperly co-mingled to provide an inaccurate narrative. So the next time you see me complain concerning some future accident that's discussed here about rushes to judgement, assumption of facts not in evidence, and other such things, keep this thread in the back of your mind as a an example of good intentions gone wrong and painting an inaccurate picture that has no bearing on what really happened.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@Ken Kurtis

Thanks Ken!

From the first report this thread needed clarification that it WAS Not A Diver

A hoop netter in a Kayak wearing a wet suit

The victim is apparently not known to the local diving community of Santa Maria area-- they are as baffed as we were

Thanks again

After all this nonsense I am late for walking Lucky dog on the beach -- Oh The horror - the absolute horror - Lucky demands his beach walk

SDM III

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Aren't all lobster dives fatal for the lobster?