Scuba Diver From Westlake Village Becomes Tangled in Kelp, Drowns

A treacherous kelp bed caused the drowning Saturday of a 43-year-old Westlake Village man who had been scuba diving, authorities said Sunday.

Robert Michael Heyman became entangled in the kelp about noon Saturday in about 30 feet of water off the coast of Oxnard near Anacapa Island, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer David Dailey said.

Heyman became separated from a group of about 20 divers who had left Oxnard that morning. His fellow divers found him in the kelp about 25 minutes after he failed to surface according to schedule, Dailey said.

Heyman was not breathing when divers pulled him to the surface and began unsuccessful efforts to revive him, said Ventura County coroner’s investigator Bob Boyd.

Heyman, a father of three, was director of pharmacy services for Washington Medical Center in Culver City. His former wife, Susan Fine, said he had begun scuba diving “a couple of times a month” about six months ago.

Dailey advised all divers to beware of kelp and to stay within eyesight of other divers. When caught in kelp, he said, don’t panic.

“The more you struggle, the more you can entangle yourself,” Dailey said. “As you struggle you’re breathing faster, you’re using your air supply faster.”