Local News in Brief : 2 Brothers Credited With Rescuing Diver

A scuba diver who was injured in rough seas off Leo Carrillo State Beach credited two young Sherman Oaks brothers with pulling him to safety.

Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said Jack Eiermann, 27, of Van Nuys suffered a dislocated shoulder about 4:40 p.m. Saturday when a wave slammed him to the bottom as he swam off the beach near Malibu. Eiermann said the injury and continual battering by waves up to six feet high drained his strength, adding that he became separated from two other divers who were with him.

“I was at the mercy of the waves,” he said Sunday. “I was hurting too much to move. I started calling for help.”

Brandon Tucker, 14, and his brother, Ryan Markheim, 9, were at the beach on a family outing and heard the diver’s calls.

“He was yelling, ‘Help me, please, help me!’ ” Ryan said. “We ran into the water to get him.”

The boys were wearing long pants and sweaters. The waves were too high for Ryan, but his brother reached Eiermann in waist-deep water and helped him stay upright as they made their way to the beach. Eiermann, who weighs 205 pounds without his diving equipment, outweighed the teen-ager by more than 100 pounds, they both said.

“I don’t know how I did it, but I did manage to stand him up,” Brandon said. “I was just glad I could help him.”

Eiermann was taken to Westlake Community Hospital in Westlake Village, where he was treated and released. At home Sunday, he was visited by the brothers who had answered his calls for help.