Ohmygod. Now THIS one really hits home. This is my territory. I didn't know the lost diver, but I'm so saddened to hear this.
But I'm also extremely frustrated.
WHY WHY WHY do inexperienced divers go out on the WORST night of the year? The one night when the seas and reefs are packed with once-a-year divers...when boats are crammed so full that crew are overtaxed...when divers are paying less attention than normal to their buddies, so they can go after that bug in the kelp...Sigh....
It's heartbreaking. But I just don't understand why people do this. California diving is already some of the most challenging on the planet, with cold water, kelp, unpredictable currents. Night diving in these conditions adds exponentially to the challenge. Adding lobster hunting to that equation makes it all the more dangerous - when you are bug hunting, you are essentially diving solo because you simply can NOT give your buddy adequate attention if you are intent on chasing fast-moving bugs. I didn't hunt for lobsters until I had quite a few local dives under my belt, including many night and beach dives, and was diving frequently so that my skills were sharp. My first few bug hunts, I buddied up with experienced lobster hunters. Now that I have over 150 dives, I've been hunting for a few years - but I don't go out on opening night. Too crazy.
Every year, opening night is marred with some kind of incident, almost invariably due to inexperienced divers taking on this incredibly dangerous activity. It just breaks my heart...and makes me angry. What can be done? Should the boats set a minimum experience and/or dive frequency level for opening-night trips?
Of course this wouldn't help the situation at the beaches, were lobster hunting is even MORE dangerous...and where there are no controls whatsoever. At least on a boat, you've got somebody checking to see if the divers are even certified, and have the appropriate licenses. On the beach, anyone can dive in and see what they can come up with. IF they come up at all.
