Lobster diver, 28, goes missing while freediving in California
By Marissa Wenzke and Luzdelia Caballero
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LONG BEACH, California (KCAL, KCBS) — The search continues for a 28-year-old lobster diver who went missing Wednesday night while freediving in Long Beach with two other men, authorities said Thursday.
He disappeared while inside the water with the other divers near the Pier J fishing pier, according to the Long Beach Fire Department. The two other men returned to a boat they had all been on and realized he was gone, reporting him missing at 9:55 p.m., fire officials said. Nineteen divers from seven different local law enforcement agencies had joined the search by 7 a.m. the next morning.
While the diver was wearing a mask, he had no tank since he had been freediving in an area of the ocean that’s about 30 to 40 feet deep, said Brian Fisk, a spokesman for the Long Beach Fire Department.
Freediving requires divers to hold their breath for long stretches of times as they go into deep ocean water, facing challenges not only with this extensive breath-holding but also with the resistance of water pressure, which rises the deeper the water is. Such challenges can lead to medical complications, and in some cases, can lead to loss of consciousness or even death, according to a study by water sports researchers at the University School of Physical Education’ in Krakow, Poland.
Fisk said silty conditions make it difficult to see underwater in the area where the diver went missing.
The agencies involved in the search efforts include the Los Angeles County Fire Department, LA Fire Department, Port of Long Beach Police, Long Beach Police Department diving team, Long Beach Fire Department, Long Beach Lifeguards and Port of LA divers.
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