Confirmed 2 Abalone diver fatalities Sonoma County in two days 4/21-4/22

Folks,
yak or no yak, ab diving is dangerous- do not forget this. RIP -diver one died yesterday 42 y.o. male in the water at Cardiac, diver today 45 y.o. male out of santa rosa North Fisk Mill. Do a roll call with your buddies. I happened upon the roadside scene today and saw signs that if was a bad outcome. Newspaper confirmed it earlier today.  Stay safe out there, dive within your limits, save some energy/strength in case you need it to get out of trouble, stay calm if you do get in trouble.

Shannon

Folks,
yak or no yak, ab diving is dangerous- do not forget this. RIP -diver one died yesterday 42 y.o. male in the water at Cardiac, diver today 45 y.o. male out of santa rosa North Fisk Mill. Do a roll call with your buddies. I happened upon the roadside scene today and saw signs that if was a bad outcome. Newspaper confirmed it earlier today.  Stay safe out there, dive within your limits, save some energy/strength in case you need it to get out of trouble, stay calm if you do get in trouble.

Shannon

Agree, and I want to add "carry a knife" if you dive near shore!  More than once I got entangled in fishing lines.

Thanks for the heads up. I don't know the circumstances around this situation, but many of my  friends are drawn to this snails like crazy. They have no idea what it takes to dive down there to harvest the snails. I have friends 30-70 years old asking me to bring them ab diving. They can't even swim. Needless to say I never brought them since I'm a noob myself. Unfortunately, the appetite for abs sometimes make people do irrational things.

I know with yesterday low tides the rock pickers were out thick , there was a sneaky south swell that kept creeping threw , wonder of that caused any issues

SONOMA COUNTY (CBS SF) — A Santa Rosa man Friday morning became the second abalone diver in two days to die while harvesting the mollusks on the Sonoma Coast, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office reported.

The Sonoma County coroner’s office identified him as 44-year-old Jeffrey Facendini.

Facendini was diving at the north end of Fisk Mill Cove in the Fort Ross State Historic Park area when his diving partner found him face down in the water around 10:15 a.m., sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Thompson said.

The diving partner pulled Facendini from the water and attempted CPR for 20 minutes before he flagged down a state parks seasonal employee who was driving on state Highway 1, Thompson said.

State parks lifeguards found Facendini on the rocks along the surf line 50 feet below a cliff, Thompson said.

The Timber Cover Fire Protection District, the sheriff’s deputy assigned to the Sonoma Coast, and a sheriff’s Henry-1 helicopter also responded, Thompson said.

The helicopter crew used a long line to bring the stricken diver to the top of the cliff, where emergency medical technicians continued life-saving efforts. Facendini was pronounced dead at 10:47 a.m., Thompson said.

Thompson said it would have taken four or five people a half-hour to carry Facendini a quarter-mile up the bluff to highway 1.

Thursday morning, Jason Chak Yin Cheung, 42, of South San Francisco, died of suspected cardiac arrest after he collapsed in chest-high water south of Pedotti Ranch in the Fort Ross State Historic Park area.

Thats terrible, my best to the families of the lost divers.

Sad news period. Prayers goes out to their families and love ones.

Jedmo

42 and cardiac arrest, christ almighty that sucks bad!!!!!!   Really bums me out to see this news.  RIP