In Reply to: Catalina diving victim identified posted by on November 02, 2009 at 13:10:16:

A Redlands woman died after suddenly surfacing during her deep-sea certification test on Catalina Island Sunday, deputies said.

Mona Towle, 56, died while being rushed from Avalon to Two Harbors, where she was to be treated for apparent decompression sickness, L.A. sheriff's deputy Robert Domin said.

Emergency personnel worked to revive Towle after she suddenly surfaced from more than 65 feet below the water at a marine sanctuary just north of Avalon's casino, another deputy said.

Towle was reportedly experiencing problems with her scuba equipment while ascending to the water's surface. Divers must ascend at a rate slow enough to avoid "the bends," a painful physical condition caused by an excessive concentration of nitrogen in the bloodstream.

The diver was being transported by boat for treatment at a hyperbaric chamber when her heart stopped, deputies said.

• http://cbs2.com/local/Mona.Towle.deep.2.1285085.html