La Jolla
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The body of a scuba diver missing for nearly a day was recovered Sunday afternoon about a mile offshore, lifeguards reported.
Dr. Richard Jernigan, 50, a La Jolla dentist, apparently drowned after he became tangled in kelp 60 feet below the surface and ran out of oxygen, lifeguard Lt. Charlie Wright said. Jernigan’s partner reported him missing shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday when he failed to resurface after a dive.
Saturday’s search was called off because of darkness, and Jernigan’s body was discovered Sunday by two amateur divers, Wright said. A team of city lifeguard divers then recovered the body at 1 p.m.
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