'Underwater Tornado" Nabs Divers

Six seasoned divers encountered a strange phenomenon during a recent dive in the waters off La Jolla Shores. The strange 'underwater tornado' swept the six in to deep waters and made surfacing difficult...

"Neptune had an attitude this morning," said Virginia Hatter, one of the six divers who were doing underwater photography along a canyon wall when they were gripped by a phenomenon they'll never forget. Hatter is a certified instructor and has 511 dives under her belt.

"It was a beautiful descent, crystal clear, gorgeous," she said. "Then about 20 minutes into it, the current pushed me into one of the other divers. I looked up and saw something I'd never seen before: It looked like an underwater tornado with sand and water swirling and coming toward us."

Hatter said visibility worsened immediately and a westerly current threatened to shoot them seaward.

"I thought, 'No way I'm staying down here,' " she said. "I'm no longer comfortable in my element, so I'm going to return home. It got my attention. I was scared."

Richard Seymour, a scientist at Scripps, came up with a theory after reviewing reports of wave patterns and weather conditions during the incident, he said, "The currents around La Jolla were very strong. The intensity of this event was probably produced by a group of very big waves."

source- LaJolla Light