Search underway for missing diver in Avon/Belmar, NJ

[KDAD]

Nautical charts say 12 ft at mean low tide but when I last dove there at high tide (which is around the time that Hoens was there) my computer read to 20 ft. Obviously that was not in the channel but then again it doesn't mean that it is much deeper there. I read in one of the news reports that it is 30 ft deep although that may not be accurate.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Once you get around the bridge support - it looks like it drops off quickly into the channel- prior to that point it is 20 feet.

I have never hit the channel - I stay out of the way just in case - and I would imagine it is only mud and sand with very little to see. Most of the time the viz has been 2 to 5 feet with an occasional 8 to 10 foot viz. With the low viz I would not want to mess up in the channel and pop up in the middle of boat traffic...

 

[agilis]

His body was found yesterday, reportedly under the bridge. His family said he was spearfishing, but no equipment was recovered. Autopsy pending.

 

[tridacna]

They have been dredging the channel for a while. I've watched a US Army dredger go back and forth for a few weeks. I imagine that it's as deep as it will ever get right now. I'm not sure what those party boats draw but I'd hate to be down there at low tide.

 

[njdiver1]

New Jersey General Diving Regulations

The NJ Dive Council has posted signs at Shark River Inlet, Manasquan Inlet and Maclearie Park (Belmar) with the diving rules, please obey them.

*** THIS FILE INCLUDES ALL REGULATIONS ADOPTED AND PUBLISHED THROUGH THE ***
*** NEW JERSEY REGISTER, VOL. 47, NO. 3, February 2, 2015 ***
TITLE 13. LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY
CHAPTER 82. BOATING REGULATIONS
SUBCHAPTER 3. OPERATIONAL REGULATIONS
§ 13:82-3.17 Diving and swimming

(a) General provisions with respect to diving and swimming are as follows:

1. Underwater diving with or without an underwater apparatus is permitted in all navigable waters in New Jersey unless otherwise prohibited in this section.

2. Any person while diving shall mark his or her position with a buoyed flag:

i. Such flag shall be displayed so that it is visible all around the horizon from a buoy, float, boat or other floating object;

ii. Such flag shall be a minimum of 14 inches by 16 inches, shall be rigid to enhance visibility and shall be a red background with a white diagonal stripe running from one corner to the other.

3. No person shall operate a vessel within 50 feet of the buoyed flag.

4. No person shall display a flag at times other than when diving is in progress.

5. No person shall swim or dive in a narrow, confined or improved channel or in a marked fairway, under a bridge, or impede, obstruct or interfere with passage of watercraft therein.

6. No diver shall surface more than 25 feet from the buoyed flag except in an emergency.

(Snip)

(d) Provisions for Shark River Inlet are as follows:

1. Underwater diving is permitted in the Shark River Inlet in that area which lies east of a line extending from the northwest end of A Street in Belmar to the southeast end of First Avenue in Avon.

2. Divers shall stay within 25 feet of the jetties and bulkheads in the area described.

3. A diver shall mark his or her position with a float and skin diver's flag.

4. No diver shall surface more than 15 feet from the buoyed flag except in an emergency.

5. No underwater diving shall be permitted in Shark River Inlet between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 5:30 P.M. during the period each year commencing May 1 terminating October 1.

NJ Scuba Diving Rules

 

[seeker242]

He likely suffered a "shallow water blackout," according to Chief Terence P. Mahon. “That’s our best summation at this point," the chief said, noting that their determination hinges on the medical examiner’s findings.

This is why you should NEVER freedive without a buddy.

 

[tridacna]

The same level of garbage journalism that we have gotten used to over the years. He carried no "OXYGEN" and he would have used his knife to cut off his weight belt. Loosening the buckle is obviously not an option when a knife is available.