Youth Killed in Dive From Newport Pier Into Ocean : Accident: The water was about 3 1/2 feet deep. A man diving from the same spot in 1989 was paralyzed.

A 17-year-old youth who told his friends that he wanted to take a swim in the ocean late Friday night was killed when he dived off the side of the busy Newport Pier into shallow water and hit bottom with his head.

Darren Evans, who lived on the 1100 block of Corinth Circle in Fountain Valley, was pronounced dead of a broken neck an hour after the 10:20 p.m. incident, Newport Beach officials said.

Newport Beach Marine Department Lt. Gordon Reed said Saturday that it was at least the second time in recent years that someone has been injured by diving off the pier: on July 4, 1989, a man was paralyzed when he dived from the same spot.

Newport Beach Police Lt. Doug Fletcher said the youth and eight friends had been walking along the pier when Darren decided that he would jump into the dark ocean and meet them at the beach.

But instead of leaping into the churning ocean at the end of the pier, where depths are more than 20 feet, Darren decided to dive less than halfway out the pier, Reed said.

The depth there at that time of night is about 3 1/2 feet, he said.

His friends, seeing that he was in trouble, ran to the beach, then dragged Darren to the sand, where they attempted to revive him, Reed said.

As they shouted for help, someone ran from the crowded pier to a lifeguard tower for aid. Chief Lifeguard Kendall Jacobsen was off duty but happened to be in the locked tower. He raced down to the sand and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but the youth failed to regain consciousness.

Paramedics arrived a few minutes after Jacobsen began administering first aid. Darren was taken to nearby Hoag Hospital, where doctors continued efforts to revive him, Reed said.

He was pronounced dead shortly before 11:30 p.m., Fletcher said.

“When you dive in the shallow water, you’re asking for trouble,” Reed said, adding that the pier is dotted with warnings not to leap into the ocean.