Stillwater Cove (north) Rescue Attempt Video

This sad video footage shows the rescue attempt in progress.  Let it remind us that no fish is worth putting ourselves, friends and family through unnecessary risk.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid770169275?bclid=769393745&bctid=823374118

If this person exercised good judgement, he'd still be alive.  Very, very sad!

Stuart

I don't think I've ever seen Stillwater that rough...  Not sure why anyone consider going out in water like that...  The rescue diver looked like he could be in a bit of trouble trying to recover him...

Any details on this incident?

Kevin,
I believe this is the story below. 

I had to watch the video a couple times before I realized the 2 divers on the rocks were rescue divers, attempting to retrieve the body.

Petaluma man drowns while scuba diving

By KATY HILLENMEYER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Monday, April 30, 2007

A 50-year-old Petaluma man drowned Sunday morning while scuba diving in turbulent waters off Stillwater Cove Regional Park, said a Sonoma County Sheriff's helicopter crew leader who helped try to rescue him.
Petaluma man drowns while scuba diving
"He was in this churning water, all whitewater, where you can't really swim and you can't really breathe," sheriff's Sgt. Eric Thomson said. "Just a very, very dangerous spot."

The diver, Victor Smith, became wedged underwater in a crack of an offshore rock, he said, and large waves hampered efforts by a friend, lifeguard and the Henry-1 helicopter crew to pull him to safety.

The scuba diver's drowning increased the death toll for divers this month on the North Coast. Four others died earlier in April while hunting for abalone, a sport that in the past decade has claimed 30 lives on the Sonoma/Mendocino coast.

Smith had come to the park north of Jenner with two abalone-diving friends, who both got out of the water because of the rough seas.

Apparently equipped with scuba gear and a spear gun for fishing, "he went tank-diving by himself," Thomson said. "He was below the surface for a half-hour or so all by himself, which is something we discourage."

Smith surfaced, waving and yelling for help, but his friend's efforts to assist him with a float failed when large waves buffeted them, eventually causing the buddy to lose sight of Smith, Thomson said.

At about 9:30 a.m. Sunday, the sheriff's helicopter responded to the scene along with state park lifeguards and Timber Cove Fire personnel. A county parks ranger had received a report of a diver in distress and radioed for help.

The white, aerated water hindered visibility, and treacherous conditions limited lifeguards' ability to search for the diver, the sheriff's department reported.

Henry-1 crew members could spot a green fin Smith was wearing. They landed the helicopter to suspend a 100-foot line to pull the diver from the surf using a "horse collar" rescue device.

Thomson, pilot Paul Bradley, paramedic Sean Cotton and lifeguard Osh McNulty all collaborated in the rescue attempt, preparing to administer life support after Thomson and the diver were flown out of the water.

But Smith was pronounced dead at the scene.

You can reach Staff Writer Katy Hillenmeyer at 521-5274 or [email protected].

Stuart, Thanks for posting that I think that it may have a positive effect on some of us. My heart goes out to him and their family. Frank

Damn...that is sobering.  For Stillwater to be that bad, it must of been a BAD day out there!!!

What I think of lot of people fail to realize about " white" water is that it will not float you.
The "white" is air and I do not know anyone who can float in air.
You cannot really tread water in it and you will sink like a rock in it.
Unfortunately there is not enough air for you to breathe but definitely enough water to fill your lungs and drown you.
My heart goes out to his family.
This serves as a grim reminder that it is better to understand the water and your limitations and to walk away so you can dive another time.
Thanks for the post Stu.

That really sucks! If it's rough, go eating instead of diving!

oh man, that is tough. the water just looks like the devil in the video.

i think that people hsould pick and choose dive days and sites real carefully especially when on scuba, you are carrying that much more gear. you are not as nimble or can fit into smaller spaces better. not only does the water slam yuor body but it could potentially crush you with your gear on.

its never easy to get one to separate from their gear.

john

That's why I stay home when the forecast is unfavorable.  Better to save the WAF and live to fish another day.