Scuba Diver Tangled in Kelp Bed Dies

A 24-year-old Ventura man died at a local hospital Sunday night after being freed from a kelp bed that he got trapped in while scuba diving near the harbor, authorities said.

The man, whose name was not released pending notification of his family, died about 6:30 p.m. at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard after being pulled from the water 30 minutes earlier, authorities said.

At the time he was brought to shore, the man may have been under water for up to 20 minutes without air, authorities said. He was unconscious and lacked all vital signs, according to the Coast Guard.

The incident started about 5:30 p.m. when the man’s friend called authorities from shore on a cell phone and reported that the victim had come to the surface, called out for help and then went under.

According to Petty Officer Bobby Rudder, the man had been diving alone less than 50 feet from shore near the La Janelle shipwreck when he became stuck in kelp about 6 feet beneath the surface.

A Coast Guardsman and a Ventura County firefighter pulled the man free and brought him to shore, where he was picked up and airlifted to the hospital.

“I believe they found him with the regulator out of his mouth, and what caused that I don’t know,” Rudder said.

Rudder said it was not uncommon for divers to unwittingly become entangled in kelp and panic.