Diver Missing Off La Jolla Shores

[Mike Boswell]

That makes a lot more sense than the previous news stories. You just never know how fact are in those. One story a couple of days ago did ask local divers to help look, but not try to being the body up - more of a general caution I guess.

Here is a little more detail. My hat's off to these tech divers who volunteered to search the deeper parts of the canyon after so many others had been unsuccessful. I'm guessing that their selfless actions will make a big difference to the friends and family of Jeffery May.

[h=1]Diver's body found off La Jolla shoreline[/h][h=6]Written by[/h][h=5]Kristina Davis[/h]10:54 a.m., June 3, 2012
Updated 2:52 p.m.



LA JOLLA — The body of a diver was found off the La Jolla shoreline Sunday morning near where an Oceanside man vanished during a Memorial Day scuba dive.
The man’s identity has not yet been confirmed, although authorities said the deceased is likely Jeffery May, 45.

A group of private technical divers were conducting a search for May near La Jolla Shores about 7:15 a.m. when one of them found the body underwater at about 175 feet, said San Diego lifeguard Lt. Andy Lerum.

The body was clad in full scuba gear and resting on the bottom.

The diver attached a lift bag to the body to get it to the surface, and a group of nearby kayakers and swimmers yelled at someone on the beach to call 911.

The Medical Examiner’s Office will confirm the identity and determine the cause of death.

Dive teams from various public safety agencies conducted a three-day search effort for May at La Jolla Shores early last week, but crews found no sign of him.
May, an experienced diver, had planned to meet up with a new group of divers at Kellogg Park on Monday morning but never did. His keys, car and other belongings were found at the park that evening after his wife reported him missing.

 

[mdax]

great work from that tech group. You definitely helped a family engage in the grieving process instead of always wonder.

 

[Ken Kurtis]

Dive teams from various public safety agencies conducted a three-day search effort for May at La Jolla Shores early last week, but crews found no sign of him.

I think it bears mentioning that sometimes public safety divers have depth limitations that would have prevented them from finding him at this extreme depth. I know there's one agency in LA that can't go deeper than 90 feet and another that can't exceed 130. It's all from a safety standpoint of not doing a search for a victim (especially when it's likely a body recovery rather than a chance at actual rescue) and creating more victims in the process.

I mention that because, while we can all applaud the team that found him, I'd hate for anyone to have the impression that any of the public safety divers who were looking didn't do a good & thorough search. It just may be (SPECULATION) that their agency protocols didn't allow them to descend to the depth where the body was eventually found.

On that same note . . .

Before someone posts "What was he doing by himself at 175 feet?" bear in mind that he may not have been at that depth on his dive. He could have arrived there post-mortem. Since he'd been in the water a while, it's certainly possible that the accident occured at a shallower depth and over the course of time, the body rolled deeper and deeper (especially in a canyon area) and came to rest at 175. If his computer is downloadable, that may provide some answers. I met the San Diego medical examiner at a conference about scuba fatalites last November and I'm sure he'll be doing a thorough investigation.

- Ken

 

[DandyDon]

Part of my letter to my daughter mentions that if I go missing and can't be found on the surface, it was probably my fault - and I don't want anyone taking risks just to recover my body.

Still, hats off to those who did find this fellow... :medal:

 

[crispix]

Looks like the body was recovered by a technical diver at 175ft.

 

[Mike Boswell]

I think it bears mentioning that sometimes public safety divers have depth limitations that would have prevented them from finding him at this extreme depth. I know there's one agency in LA that can't go deeper than 90 feet and another that can't exceed 130. It's all from a safety standpoint of not doing a search for a victim (especially when it's likely a body recovery rather than a chance at actual rescue) and creating more victims in the process.

I mention that because, while we can all applaud the team that found him, I'd hate for anyone to have the impression that any of the public safety divers who were looking didn't do a good & thorough search. It just may be (SPECULATION) that their agency protocols didn't allow them to descend to the depth where the body was eventually found.

On that same note . . .

Before someone posts "What was he doing by himself at 175 feet?" bear in mind that he may not have been at that depth on his dive. He could have arrived there post-mortem. Since he'd been in the water a while, it's certainly possible that the accident occured at a shallower depth and over the course of time, the body rolled deeper and deeper (especially in a canyon area) and came to rest at 175. If his computer is downloadable, that may provide some answers. I met the San Diego medical examiner at a conference about scuba fatalites last November and I'm sure he'll be doing a thorough investigation.

- Ken

Ken, if a tech diver finds a body at 175 feet, what is the recommended recovery procedure?

 

[Ken Kurtis]

Ken, if a tech diver finds a body at 175 feet, what is the recommended recovery procedure?

Good question and I don't know that there are really any specific protocols in place. Because scuba deaths are considered potential homicides until proven otherwise (which is usually relatively quickly), essentially by recovering the body you're disturbing a potential crime scene. And this is why most times the request is to either leave it to the authorities or at least work directly with them. That being said, no one expects you to find a body and just leave it there.

Under ideal conditions, the basics would be to document everything as best you can. A still or video camera to record the scene exaclty as it's found nbefore anyone moves anything is helpful. The less disturbing of victim, gear, etc., the better. If the weightbelt's on and you can get them up without removing it (like with a lift bag), do so. That keeps everything exactly the way it was when found. If you do need to remove the weightbelt, try to note things like whether it was tangled up, did it come off easily, what was the position, etc., etc. More detail is better than less. If you have to leave the weights on the bottom, try to mark their location with a buoy or at least get a really good fix on where they are because they can provide info about over-weighting and stuff like that.

Once on the surface (and assuming - as would have been the case here - that you're not doing M-M or other life support), the ideal thing would be to have a boat (Sheriff's Lifeguards, etc.) standing by when you surface so you don't have to drag the victim through the surf which may alter gear positioning and location. If that's not practical and you DO need to exit the water on the shore with the victim, BEFORE you go through the surf, note where the mask is, is the reg free-flowing (in case there's stil air left - which brings up the point of always looking at the SPG and noting air pressure, if any, at the time of recovery) and all those kinds of details so that if anything changes upon exit, you know how it was originally.

Obviously, you also want to write as much of this down as possible. Carrying some sort of a slate and pencil with you prior to recovery would be good. Absent that, once the body is onshore, get all your observations in writing while they're still fresh in your mind.

And if the authorities aren't meeting you onshore, show some respect for the victim. Pull them far enough up to be out of the water. Cover the entire body (at least the face if you can't do the whole body) with a sheet, blanekt, or towel. Keep looky-loos away. Discourage people from taking pictures. Notify authorities immediately for pickup. Do not leave the body unattended.

Like I said, there are no real written protocols for lay people because we'd rather have the professional safety divers do this. (And just to be clear, I don't do actual recoveries so someone who actually does this for a public safety agency may have a slightly different take.) But, off the top of my head as I sit and write this, that's sort of a list of the bassics.

- Ken

 

[mathauck0814]

I believe the instructions in this case were to attach an SMB to mark the location and alert the lifeguards. Not sure that's always the case, but when we went out on Friday night to look that was what we were advised - Shane did this but also brought the body up to the top of the canyon wall to make their retrieval easier.

 

[RonFrank]

Tragic. My thoughts go out to the family.

With luck we will learn more than it was a 'drowning'.

 

[drbill]

Back in the days (just a few years ago) when I was repeatedly diving to depths of 180-200 ft, I told the boat crew NOT to attempt a rescue if I didn't surface and told my family NOT to take any action against the boat owner or crew. I alone was responsible and I didn't want anyone else losing their life to try to save me.

As far as I know from the information I've received on this incident, the diver was not planning a deep descent. I applaud the efforts of those who did recover the body for the sake of the family and friends. I also agree with Ken's comments that public safety divers should (paraphrased here) only take reasonable risks to recover a body and not put themselves in harm's way.