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am looking for any info on the death of a Diver at Casino point Saturday! All three divers are known to me: Two students and the instructor! Trying to put the facts together, so any help? Got the word in Atlanta Airport after retuning from EV Explorer 1. We wish the family well and are hearts are with them! It was his checkout dive one month after retiring from RSO!:(
June 1st, © SMN
Yesterday a diver died while diving at the popular Casino Point sight at Catalina, an Island off Southern California.
The diver in question was a male in his early 50's who was taking part in an open water dive instruction class.
A Fire Department spokesman told SMN that the diver had moved off & away from others and at some point surfaced and indicated he was in severe distress.
A rescue class was being conducted by a dive training entity and immediately saw the distressed diver wherein they rapidly reached the then unconscious diver and brought him to shore.
CPR was initiated immediately by the rescue instructors and Catalina's City of Avalon Fire Department personnel were on the scene within just a few minutes.
"We worked on him for 90 minutes, and brought him back where he was breathing on his own after about 25 minutes of CPR" SMN was told.
The diver was immediately taken to the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, wherein he was later pronounced dead.
There was a question as to the actual cause of the death and whether it was even dive related so autopsy results are waiting.
Thanks! SBSO was there doing the class I had heard they were first to him. We were told it was his heart. Massive heart attack? He was a great guy, he was looking forward to becoming a diver. Last time I talked to him he was all smiles about his last pool session. He wanted to be a part of our series and had some great SWAT team stories...... He will be missed!
I am very sorry to hear about your loss.
This is the Associated Press version, but I have deleted the name of the victim.
The Associated Press
06/02/2008
AVALON, Calif.—A retired Riverside County sheriff's sergeant is dead after a weekend scuba diving accident off Santa Catalina Island.
A Los Angeles County sheriff's dispatcher said 50-year-old --------- was diving with an instructor in about 20 feet of water Saturday at Casino Point Underwater Park when he ran into trouble.
Shortly after giving the instructor a thumbs-up signal, -------- floated to the surface, not breathing. He was given CPR and taken by paramedics to a hyperbaric chamber on the island. He remained unresponsive and was declared dead a couple hours later.
Hyperbaric chambers are used to treat divers for decompression sickness, also called the bends.
Catalina is about 20 miles off the coast of Los Angeles County."
end
This tragedy should serve as a reminder to spend some additional time with your family, always tell them you love them, and thank good friends for being good friends.
Not that much info but a very nice closing to the article.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Publisher
The AP article is wrong. The victim did NOT give a "thumbs up" to the instructor. He was not trying to call the dive. What he gave was an OK sign in response to her asking if he was OK.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Publisher
I'm assuming the AP writer is not a diver. I'm sure he/she was told that ther diver floated up shortly after signaling he was okay. To the non-diving public, "OK" means a thumbs up sign. (Think of all the policiticans who use that gesture). To a diver, "thumbs up" has a radically different meaning than "OK".
I think this was simply a case of the person writing the article not "speaking" the language of diver hand signals.
- Ken
—————————————————
Ken Kurtis
Owner, Reef Seekers Dive Co.
Beverly Hills, CA 90213
www.reefseekers.com
Thanks, Ken after talking to the instructor I can confirm that you're exactly right! She got an Okay Sign and not a dive terminating Thumbs Up! Her dive computer deepest reading was 13ft so in 20ft viz she never lost sight of him and looked up to see him floating on the surface on his back and went to him with the other student in tow. By the time she got to the surface the SBSO already was towing him back and she was giving them info on him! She would have never turned away if she had gotten a thumbs up nor would any other instructor!
Goes to show you what the Avalon Fire Department spokesman knows! She must have been pretty distraught over it.
Thanks for the updated more correct info.