Unconscious diver flown from Eureka rig - California

[DandyDon]

I hope local divers can offer more information. Unconscious while diving is a bad start.

Authorities rescue unconscious diver off the coast of Long Beach • Long Beach Post News

A recreational diver who fell unconscious while swimming near an oil platform called Island Eureka 8 miles off the coast of Long Beach was rescued Saturday morning.

Multiple rescue agencies responded to a call about the unconscious diver at about 9:45 a.m., U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Benjamin McIntyre said.

The man, 40, was pulled out of the water and was safely onboard a Baywatch Cabrillo boat, according to McIntyre.

A Coast Guard helicopter was on route to transport the man to a hospital in Long Beach, but instead changed course and met with the boat and hoisted the man in a rescue basket.

Rescue crews said they were going to transport the man to a medical facility on Catalina Island.

There, the facility has a hyperbaric chamber––which is used in oxygen therapy–– for additional life-saving measures, McIntyre said.

 

[Larryjd1]

Just for a little clarity, there are "oil rig platforms" off of Long Beach (Eureka, Ellen and Elly) that If I remember correctly from when we dove it last year that they are actually natural gas rather than oil. Regardless, they are popular with divers because of the uniqueness of the structures, the possible depths of the dives, and the scallops that grow on the structures you can harvest (with license) during the dives.

However, as the rigs are still in live production, the dive boats can only approach the rigs while they are actively dropping off or picking up divers. Divers are required to stay inside the frame of the structure other than during drop off and pickup. So the process is that when the boat notices that enough divers have surfaced to make a pickup worthwhile, it swings in from its holding position further away and backs up "near" the rig and then divers are encouraged to quickly make the swim to the boat for pickup.

I would imagine from the article the diver had an issue during the ascent or during the swim back to the boat.

During our trip we had a diver develop symptoms and after being on oxygen during the return trip ended up being taken to the Catalina Island chamber for some sessions.

 

[Diamondeve21]

The Diver is actually a friend of a friend and it’s very unfortunate, he passed away... They were harvesting scallops when he ran out of air. I don’t really know the specifics but I think he might have chocked or ascended too fast or something. I was told by my friends who were on the same trip as him...

 

[Diamondeve21]

RIP

 

[skippy311]

RIP

 

[Larryjd1]

I certainly don't know what the circumstances were in this case, but at least last year the license entitled you to 10 scallop "pieces", which incentivized you to take care as you extracted the scallop since if it came out in halves that was 2 of your 10 piece limit. All the while you are fighting the fish looking for a free meal while you are extracting the scallop and getting into your game bag. Plus the deeper you went the bigger the scallop.

Plenty of opportunity for distraction and not checking your depth and air as frequently as you might normally, especially if it was your first time harvesting.

Sorry to hear about his passing.

 

[BlueTrin]

I certainly don't know what the circumstances were in this case, but at least last year the license entitled you to 10 scallop "pieces", which incentivized you to take care as you extracted the scallop since if it came out in halves that was 2 of your 10 piece limit. All the while you are fighting the fish looking for a free meal while you are extracting the scallop and getting into your game bag. Plus the deeper you went the bigger the scallop.

Plenty of opportunity for distraction and not checking your depth and air as frequently as you might normally, especially if it was your first time harvesting.

Sorry to hear about his passing.

I am not familiar with how you harvest scallops: how would it come in halves ?

Because it could break if you try to detach one that it attached to the structure ?

Sorry to hear about this sad event.

 

[DandyDon]

I am not familiar with how you harvest scallops: how would it come in halves ?

Because it could break if you try to detach one that it attached to the structure ?

Diver scallops are featured at restaurants and are better for the environment that bottom dragging nets. I've never opened one, but I suppose you can do so at depth and retain the half shell with the meat attached. I guess you need to avoid bruising the meat, and if you break the scallop too much then drop it to the eager fish and go again.

 

[Lawgeek]

This was very sad. I was in the area on my boat when the call went out to the Coast Guard. It was very chilling to listen to the conversations between the captain and CG.

 

[markmud]

I am not familiar with how you harvest scallops: how would it come in halves ?

Hi BlueTrin,

I harvested scallops with a cake icing knife. I would find a scallop that was ever so slightly open (or wait for one to open slightly). I would run my icing knife along the inside of the shell which would separate one side of the muscle from one shell half. The scallop could then be opened easily and then I would repeat the cake icing knife process on the opened shell half that still had the scallop muscle attached to it.

Next, I would clean the muscle (scallop) of all of its guts and other material. The fish would go crazy. They were like pet dogs waiting for dinner scraps. This was all done underwater. The scallop was then placed in a zip lock baggy or eaten while the fish were feasting. I shared meals with sheepshead fish! Effin cool!

I did this at Santa Cruz Island, Santa Rosa Island, and Scripps Canyon.

Because it could break if you try to detach one that it attached to the structure ?

I don't know how a scallop muscle is ripped apart. Dunno! Never dunnit!

cheers,
m²V2