OXNARD : Diver Treated for Surfacing Too Fast
A 40-year-old Oxnard man who surfaced too quickly while diving near Santa Cruz Island on Sunday had to be airlifted to a hospital for treatment, authorities said.
Frank Barrows was listed in serious condition Sunday night at Los Robles Regional Medical Center, a nursing supervisor said.
At 10:55 a.m., authorities received a call from the dive vessel Liberty about one of its divers who had symptoms of dizziness, numbness in legs and arms, nausea and was spitting blood, Coast Guard Petty Officer Randolph Reid said.
Barrows, who had been on a scuba dive only once before, was about 30 feet underwater on the south side of Santa Cruz Island when, “for some reason, he panicked and came to the surface too quickly,” Reid said.
Barrows was treated for air embolism, which occurred because he surfaced too quickly and caused the air to expand in his bloodstream.
“If we didn’t get to him, he would have died,” Reid said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
