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Santa Rosa man who died while abalone diving | The Press Democrat
A man who died Saturday morning while abalone diving off of the Sonoma Coast has been identified as George McBeth, 56, of Santa Rosa, according to the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office.
McBeth had gone into the ocean with a friend at the Timber Cove boat landing at about 7:30 a.m., sheriffs officials said.
They were about 125 yards out when McBeth began to feel ill, according to a sheriffs report. The two dropped their weight belts and the companion had McBeth hang on to an inner tube while he swam them to shore, shouting for help.
On shore, an off-duty paramedic who was at the beach began CPR and arriving Timber Cove volunteer firefighters also helped with CPR and other life-saving efforts, said Erich Lynn, Timber Cove assistant fire chief.
The cove is a popular spot for abalone diving and kayak fishing as it is fairly protected. Saturdays weather was good and the water was calm. There were several people on the beach at the time, Lynn said.
The man was pronounced dead at 9:18 a.m.
McBeth was the sixth person to die this year while diving for abalone off the Northern California coast.
A Texas man died earlier in June while diving in Tomales Bay. Four men have died off of the Mendocino coast, including three who died together in April, soon after this years season began.
There were five other coastal deaths in the region in the last several weeks, including four Sonoma County residents in a fishing boat accident and a Rohnert Park man who died, possibly of a medical emergency, while scuba diving.