In Reply to: Diver Missing in Santa Cruz October 7, 2006 posted by Dolphi on October 08, 2006 at 19:38:41:

I was unfortunate enough to be on the boat. It's not clear what happened.

I can confirm that the missing diver was using a Prism rebreather. He exited the boat and was seen to swim to the float marking the downline to the pinnacle. Shortly thereafter his teammates called over to the boat and asked where he was. He had made it clear that nobody was to be solo diving so it is very unlikely he started the dive without his team. Surface conditions were good with relatively flat seas, light winds and no surface current (though there was a significant current at depth). It was determined that he was not on the surface. One of his teammates descended far enough to see the top of the pinnacle and didn't see him on the line. We called the CG and began search and rescue efforts. Several attempts were made locate him on the bottom including search patterns with scooters but the bottom under the boat was 170 feet so there was a limit to what we could do.

The boat ride home was a thoroughly miserable experience and I can only imagine how tough this is on his family and friends. My thoughts are with them at this time.

Clinton