Diver With Bends Flown to Hospital
A 25-year-old Santa Barbara man was airlifted to a hospital Friday with an attack of the bends after a dive off Santa Cruz Island.
Louis Lopez, 25, was in good condition in the hyperbaric unit of Columbia Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks after the 10:30 a.m. incident, according to Coast Guard and hospital officials.
Lopez dove into the water about a mile east of the island to retrieve an air tank that had fallen off a chartered diving boat, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Jim Roche.
Lopez reached the sinking tank about 30 feet below the surface, got some air from the tank and returned to the surface without it, Roche said.
Lopez complained of sharp stomach and chest pains as soon as he got on the boat, Roche said.
A Coast Guard helicopter from the air station at Los Angeles International Airport flew Lopez to the hospital.
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