Scuba Diver Drowns Off of Point Loma
A 26-year-old man from Pacific Beach drowned Sunday after he became entangled in kelp while scuba diving off Point Loma, the coroner’s office reported.
John J. Kelley, who was diving with his brother, was last seen alive at 11:38 a.m. when he surfaced and called for help, said Deputy Coroner Penne Hammersted. Kelley had lost his oxygen regulator, she said. “His brother tried to give him his oxygen regulator but because he (John) was in a panicky state, he couldn’t,” she said.
Lifeguards located Kelley about 40 feet below the surface at 12:43 p.m. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at UCSD Hospital about an hour later.
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