Ab Diver killed..

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20140629/articles/140629554

An abalone diver believed dead but lost in rough ocean waters Sunday off the Mendocino County coast was a 50-year-old San Francisco man.
[/size]Efforts to recover the diver from Elk Harbor took most of the day but were halted by about 3 p.m. Sunday due to the turbulent water, said Bob Matson, assistant chief for Elk volunteer fire.
[/size]“We cannot find him,” Matson said. “Right now the way the ocean is, there is no way to access where these guys were.”
[/size]The man and three friends had driven to Elk from San Francisco early Sunday for a day of abalone diving, Matson said.
[/size]“The ocean is really rough and they were abalone diving and went into this cave, a u-shaped cave with two entrances,” Matson said.
[/size]A powerful wave slammed one of the divers against the rocks, knocking him unconscious, said John Ross, who is also an assistant chief for Elk volunteer fire. The trio moved their friend to the back of the cave, where the water was shallow to perform CPR, but the swells were huge and the tide came in and they had to swim out to save themselves, Ross said.
[/size]It took about 30 minutes for the three divers to get up to the bluffs and call 911, Matson said.
[/size]The call came at 9:05 a.m. and generated a huge response of emergency crews including Elk, Mendocino and Cal Fire firefighters as well as two helicopters, a U.S. Coast Guard boat out of Noyo harbor and a state Fish and Game boat.
[/size]Two rescue divers attempted to search the caves to see if the man was there but had to abandon the effort because of the rough water.
[/size]“It's unknown whether the body flushed out of the cave or he's still there,” Matson said.
[/size]Recovery efforts were expected to resume Sunday evening with the outgoing tide.
[/size]The man's diving ability wasn't known. While he wore a wet suit, he didn't wear a weight belt, which is standard for ab divers.
[/size]Elk Harbor typically isn't a common place for abalone diving but more divers have been seen in the area of late.
[/size]“Two guys got in trouble in exactly the same spot a month ago,” Matson said.
[/size]Those two were in the harbor when one apparently felt sick. A rescue helicopter helped them both to safety.
[/size]“Two rescues in the same place in a month is a lot for us,” he said.
[/size]This is the third abalone diver death off of the Mendocino Coast this season. One man died May 31 and one on June 6, near the town of Mendocino.
[/size]Elk is a small community between Point Arena and Mendocino.
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[/size]so sad.
[/size]RIP

One very fundamental thing to learn as a diver or boater is when not to go out, even if you have driven for hours to get to the water. The majority of divers dying in the norcal waters seem to come from the central valley and the long drive makes them loathe to abort their plans when they arrive at the coast and find the conditions unfavorable if not downright dangerous.

Same thing has happened with boaters who when the salmon season starts will go out regardless of the conditions. Years back there was dense fog on opening day and people in their boats could not find the Moss Landing harbor entrance and ended up in the surf and drowned - five bodies were recovered and three were not.