#1787
NVR2L8 - 9/21/2008 12:25 AM
I’m not sure why his friends ended up on the shore without their buddy. The missing diver was free diving, so he could not have stayed underwater for more than a minute at a time. They probably lost track of time and when they realized he hadn’t returned to shore, they panicked and then called 911. This is the second fatal diving accident in California during September. In the other fatal accident in Northern California, the scuba diver was experienced (retired Coast Guard Rescue Diver) who drown in 12 feet of water after becoming entangled in kelp. There were two other divers with him who were unable to rescue him. California has averaged one fatal diving accident a month this year. Sadly, most of them probably could have been prevented if the divers had followed standard safety protocols which are taught in beginning scuba classes. Hopefully we can learn some valuable lessons from these tragic accidents.