Posted by DougD on October 01, 2001 at 10:02:38:
Diver dies while hunting for lobster
September 30, 2001
By CHARLES ADAMSON The Orange County Register
LAGUNA BEACH
A scuba diver died early Saturday morning, the opening day of the lobster sport- fishing season.
Sheldon Keith Cahoon, 49, an electrician from Las Vegas, was found floating and unconscious in the water off Sleepy Hollow Lane by a fellow diver before 1:30 a.m. Saturday.
He was part of a group of seven divers from Nevada who came to hunt lobster, said Steve Schafer, one of the group members. Schafer said Cahoon went into the water with a partner and made it through the surf. The partner couldn't get through the breaking waves and went back to shore for fins. The partner then swam to Cahoon and found him unconscious.
"It kind of looked like a heart attack, from what we can determine so far," Schafer said.
Cahoon was pulled to shore and, Schafer said, he started cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Police and fire personnel continued rescue efforts, but Cahoon never regained consciousness. Schafer, not a close acquaintance of Cahoon, didn't know how long Cahoon had been involved in diving, but said he was certified for open-water dives four months ago and had had advanced-dive training two months ago.
Laguna Beach senior lifeguard Casey Parlette said there were more than 100 divers out Saturday morning for the lobster-fishing opener. There was a two- to three-foot swell, a little above average for the area.
"It wasn't by any means dangerous, but it wasn't safe," Parlette said.
Parlette said one to five divers die annually in Laguna Beach.
The Orange County coroner's office was investigating the cause of death.