Diver Drowns Off La Jolla After Running Out of Air
A 39-year-old diver drowned off La Jolla Sunday when his scuba tank ran out of air, a San Diego lifeguard reported.
David Brown of Santee was 63 feet below the surface, about three quarters of a mile off Casa Cove, when he exhausted his air supply about 15 minutes after diving off a 23-foot vessel, said Lt. Brant Bass, a city lifeguard.
Brown tried to share his diving partner’s air regulator, but when he removed it from the man’s mouth, his partner panicked and swam to the surface, Bass said.
It was not clear why Brown could not reach the surface, Bass said.
Lifeguards, responding to an 11:43 a.m. call for aid from the vessel, brought Brown to the surface after he had been underwater for about 10 minutes, and took him ashore about noon, Bass said.
Life Flight paramedics called to the scene were able to re-start Brown’s pulse and transport him to UCSD Medical Center, but he was pronounced dead at 12:42 p.m. before he could be placed into a special chamber used to aid diving accident victims, Bass said.
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