Three abalone divers were killed in separate incidents this weekend in Northern California. Powerful rip currents were reported and may have contributed to the deaths according to The Huffington Post.
Abalone is a delicacy that's savored by seafood lovers. The mollusk can be harvested from the rocks they cling to during low tide. Divers will often use a weight belt in order to keep themselves submerged while attempting to pry the abalone from the rocks.
One of the three fatalities was an unidentified man found just north of Fort Bragg, a Sonoma County Sheriff's sergeant said the man may have been snagged in rocks 15 feet below the surface according to The Huffington Post.
Cedric Collett, a 66-year-old retired fire fighter from Pacifica, was found near Shell Beach. According to reports from the Press Democrat Collett was a strong swimmer in excellent physical shape that had been diving with a friend.
36-year-old Kenneth Liu was caught in a rip tide by Salt Point State Park. Several divers helped bring him to shore but he was unable to be revived.
Deaths during abalone season are somewhat common and to be expected but three in the same weekend was shocking to the community. Part of what makes abalone diving so dangerous is that it requires "breath hold diving," diving without scuba equipment.
"It's the busiest we've been in that short amount of time with that many horrible outcomes," said Paul Bradley. Bradley is a veteran helicopter pilot for the Sonoma Sheriff's Department who has worked on many rescue operations.
State park lifeguard Tim Murphy told the Associated Press that divers should spend time thoroughly studying the water conditions before attempting to dive. Murphy also said that divers should never dive alone and should have plans for how to react should something go wrong before they ever get in the water.
