Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach, CA Fatality

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This is very sad to read and hits home for me. Shaw's Cove aka Diver's Cove was the spot I did my shore diving from when I was still living in the states.
 
That was tough to read.
Condolences to the family and friends.
Thanks to those that tried to save him.
 
“It’s important to remember to always know your limitations and always scuba dive with a buddy,” Capt Bond said.

True to that. I have come to the conclusion recently, reading more and more of the Accidents and Incidents forum, that so many accidents descriptions contain phrases like:
- "they became separated"
- "they surfaces and noticed the other diver wasn't with them"
- "they've seen him going up to the surface and continued on with the dive"
One wonders if we paid much more attention to the basic rule (at least in some agencies training standard) of buddy diving, the outcomes of some of those situations might have been different.
 
“It’s important to remember to always know your limitations and always scuba dive with a buddy,” Capt Bond said.

True to that. I have come to the conclusion recently, reading more and more of the Accidents and Incidents forum, that so many accidents descriptions contain phrases like:
- "they became separated"
- "they surfaces and noticed the other diver wasn't with them"
- "they've seen him going up to the surface and continued on with the dive"
One wonders if we paid much more attention to the basic rule (at least in some agencies training standard) of buddy diving, the outcomes of some of those situations might have been different.

From the article:
The scuba diver was “witnessed entering the water by himself an hour before he was found on the surf, floating face down, and unconscious. He didn’t have a buddy with him. It’s hard to assess what exactly happened to him while scuba diving,” Capt Bond said.

So...

But I do agree with your premise. Too often "buddies" are "Same Ocean/Same Dive."
 
This is very sad to read and hits home for me. Shaw's Cove aka Diver's Cove was the spot I did my shore diving from when I was still living in the states.
Divers Cove is two coves southeast of Shaw's Cove. Boat Canyon separates the two coves.
 
I was one of the divers involved in the rescue attempt

A few details:
- The deceased was from out of town and was diving alone
- He was in full rental gear from a local shop
- His SPG read 0
- His computer showed a surface interval of 1 hour 25 min when we got him to shore
- Swells were ~2ft and surge was heavier than normal for Shaw's Cove

I commend all who assisted with the rescue.
 
I was one of the divers involved in the rescue attempt

A few details:
- The deceased was from out of town and was diving alone
- He was in full rental gear from a local shop
- His SPG read 0
- His computer showed a surface interval of 1 hour 25 min when we got him to shore
- Swells were ~2ft and surge was heavier than normal for Shaw's Cove

I commend all who assisted with the rescue.

Thanks for the update. Always good to get first hand info. Sorry you had to go through that experience.
 
“It’s important to remember to always know your limitations and always scuba dive with a buddy,” Capt Bond said.

True to that. I have come to the conclusion recently, reading more and more of the Accidents and Incidents forum, that so many accidents descriptions contain phrases like:
- "they became separated"
- "they surfaces and noticed the other diver wasn't with them"
- "they've seen him going up to the surface and continued on with the dive"
One wonders if we paid much more attention to the basic rule (at least in some agencies training standard) of buddy diving, the outcomes of some of those situations might have been different.


I would say that a properly trained and equipped solo diver is overall less likely to end up a statistic. My feel is that many divers rely on the said buddy to act as a rescuer or redundancy and are at risk when the buddy system breaks down. In other words they are suddenly diving solo while ill equipped to do so.
 
I would say that a properly trained and equipped solo diver is overall less likely to end up a statistic. My feel is that many divers rely on the said buddy to act as a rescuer or redundancy and are at risk when the buddy system breaks down. In other words they are suddenly diving solo while ill equipped to do so.

I would say that's probably accurate for typical buddy pairings, but not for a properly trained and equipped team. In most cases, at least. A team of self reliant divers capable of doing the dive on their own but working together with a team mentality is going to be safer than going it alone most of the time.
 
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