Salt Point SP fatality - California

[DandyDon]

Scuba diver dies at Sonoma County coast | The Press Democrat

A scuba diver died Sunday afternoon off the northern Sonoma County coast, according to a Sonoma County sheriff’s official.
The man had been diving in Gerstle Cove in Salt Point State Park, apparently with two others, Lt. Steve Brown said.
State parks officials alerted county dispatchers at 3:03 p.m. to a diver in distress and the Sonoma County Sheriff’s helicopter Henry-1 responded.
State parks lifeguards reached the man and were conducting life-saving measures on him when the helicopter crew arrived.
A sheriff’s helicopter paramedic crawled down the cliff to the diver and pilot Paul Bradley lowered medical gear on a longline to the effort, according to emergency officials.
The paramedic performed CPR on the victim as they were lifted to a nearby bluff, where more attempts to revive the man were made.
Brown said the man was pronounced dead at 3:46 p.m. He was initially reported as an abalone diver.
His identity and further details weren’t available Sunday afternoon.
The initial call for help said that as many as three people might have been in trouble in the water and three helicopters were dispatched. A CHP helicopter and REACH air ambulance joined Henry-1 in the response, according to an emergency dispatch report.
State parks lifeguards and rangers, Cal Fire and Timber Cove firefighters and a Coast Life Support ambulance also responded.

 

[Ongrade]

If he was an ab diver then he wasn't a scuba diver

 

[Bob DBF]

If he was an ab diver then he wasn't a scuba diver

The initial report was wrong, he was on SCUBA.

Second page of the Press Democrat article:

The three friends had gone to the cove for the day. At least one of the victim’s friends was an experienced scuba diver, but Stinson said he didn’t know the level of experience of the victim.

Gerstle Cove is a sheltered spot, favored by scuba divers and as a launching site for abalone divers who then head to nearby areas to seek abalone. The cove itself is closed for taking abalone, Stinson said.

The conditions Sunday weren’t ideal for diving, Stinson said. While clear and sunny, it was windy and somewhat choppy and there were few abalone divers in the area.

The man’s death was the ninth ocean-related fatality off of the North Coast this spring. Four abalone divers died in Mendocino County and four Sonoma County residents on a fishing boat died near Tomales Bay in Marin County.

Bob

 

[DandyDon]

I guess the initial rumor that he was scuba diving for abalone is going to linger. Updated story...

CHP Lt. dies while scuba diving off Sonoma Coast | KRON4.com

SONOMA COUNTY (KRON) — The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office has identified the person who died while scuba diving over the weekend.
54-year-old Jeffrey Alan Rhea of Rohnert Park was scuba diving in Salt Point State Park off of the Sonoma Coast on Sunday when he died.
Rhea was a 27-year veteran of the California Highway Patrol, currently holding the position of lieutenant. He was also an ex-Marine, enlisting in 1980 and then serving in the reserves until 2011.
He’s survived by two adult daughters.
Rhea was diving for abalone with two others when he began struggling in the water.
Lifeguards and a sheriff’s paramedic tried to revive Rhea, but he was pronounced dead at a bluff near the water.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office is conducting a follow-up investigation surrounding the cause and manner of Rhea’s death, said Watch Commander for the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, Lieutenant Al Vernon.
This is the fifth death of the abalone diving season, which began last month.

 

[Bob DBF]

Not an Abalone diver at the time, his tank and computer are being inspected by the Sonoma County Sheriff.

Press Democrat, Santa Rosa:

A Rohnert Park man who died while scuba diving with friends off the northern Sonoma Coast was identified Monday as CHP Lt. Jeffrey Alan Rhea, Sonoma County sheriff’s officials said.

Rhea was diving in Gerstle Cove in Salt Point State Park on Sunday when one of his friends found him unresponsive, floating at the surface, authorities said. Rhea could not be revived, despite a sustained effort to resuscitate him by his friends, followed by a state parks ranger, lifeguards and a Sheriff’s Office paramedic. He was 54.

A Marine Corps veteran with a 27-year career with the CHP, Rhea leaves behind two adult daughters, CHP spokesman Officer Jon Sloat said. “We send our greatest sympathy to Jeff Rhea’s family,” Greg Baarts, commander of the Santa Rosa Area CHP office, said in a statement. “Jeff was an integral part of our command and our CHP family. It is a great loss for all of us.”

Rhea joined the Santa Rosa office in 2009, following years of service in San Jose, Oakland and the Central Valley, Sloat said. Rhea enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1980 and became a chief warrant officer before he retired from the reserves in 2011.

Sloat said Rhea was authentic. “He was a trustworthy guy, you could take him at his word,” he said.

Jeremy Stinson, a supervising ranger with State Parks, said that he was told Rhea and his friends were experienced divers.

Gerstle Cove is a favorite spot for diving because it is sheltered with little influence from wind or surf, making it a calm place for divers to set out, Stinson said.

On Sunday, it was windy and the water was choppy, not ideal conditions for diving. It wasn’t immediately known what caused Rhea to become unconscious in the water.

A state parks ranger near the area when the 911 call came in at 3:02 p.m. saw two divers swimming Rhea to shore, about 300 feet offshore in an area outside of the small cove, he said. Rhea was still wearing his scuba gear, including mouthpiece.

Sonoma County Sheriff’s Lt. Al Vernon said Monday the coroner’s office is conducting an investigation into the cause and manner of Rhea’s death. Stinson said that Rhea’s equipment, including a tank equipped with a computer, was given to the Sheriff’s Office for review.

Staff Writer Mary Callahan contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson @pressdemocrat.com

 

[DandyDon]

Not an Abalone diver at the time, his tank and computer are being inspected by the Sonoma County Sheriff.

I trust your info more than the news media, but some of them are making a deal about this being the fifth ad diver fatality of the season. Abalone Diver Dies Off Sonoma County Coast; 5th Abalone Diver To Die Since Last Month « CBS San Francisco

 

[fisheater]

They don't know what they're talking about.


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