Posted by CalAbDiver on August 06, 2001 at 12:46:00:
In Reply to: Here's the link posted by MHK on August 06, 2001 at 10:19:40:
UNION-TRIBUNE
August 6, 2001
A nine-hour rescue effort yesterday failed to locate a missing scuba diver off La Jolla, officials said.
The diver, who was not identified, went diving with a friend about 3 a.m. yesterday, said Lt. Rick Wurtz of San Diego Lifeguard Service.
When the pair became separated, one diver followed established procedure and resurfaced to reconnect with his partner. His friend did not resurface, Wurtz said.
The pair had been diving from a boat that apparently was not equipped with a radio or cell phone. The diver who resurfaced waited about 90 minutes in the boat before returning to shore, officials said. He experienced engine trouble on the way back.
Wurtz said the diver put the boat away and drove home before contacting the Coast Guard about his missing diving partner, who was described as in his mid-20s.
The diver told authorities that the missing man was not a certified diver and had been drinking before diving, officials said.
Rescue efforts were launched at 10:15 a.m. by the Coast Guard, Lifeguard Service and San Diego Police Department. The efforts included a Coast Guard helicopter search of the coast and probes by diving-rescue teams.
The diver's uncertainty about where his friend became lost hampered rescue efforts. The search was abandoned shortly before dark last night.