Thank you, Professional Debriefer Paul for bringing these articles to my attention.

Apparently, a 45 year old woman was diving off of the Sundiver Express on Tuesday at Ship Rock and went missing.

She was wearing, according to one of the articles, a black wet suit and a white tank.

Quotes from the two articles, listed below:

“The diver was reported missing just before noon about three miles away off the island near Ship Rock, an area popular with divers, according to Lifeguard Specialist Lidia Barillas of the Lifeguards Division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.”

“The Coast Guard sent a 45-foot patrol boat, a helicopter and the cutter Narwhal to assist in the search for the woman, whose name was not released.”

The articles goes on to state that you should never solo dive and to always dive within your limits and have your equipment serviced.

However, there was no speculation that she was diving alone or comments on her equipment or skill level.

For those of you who are not familiar with the California diving culture, the Dive Masters do not conduct underwater tours – on any boat that I have been on.

You simply check out when you jump overboard and check in when you come back; the Dive Master simply accounts for the divers and responds to any emergency on the surface, or reports anyone who doesn’t come back.

I am not going to speculate, and hope she is found alive and well.

Original articles are here:

Search continues for female scuba diver missing off Catalina Island

Scuba Diver Missing Off Catalina Island

Update January 1, 2016:

Search launched for woman diving near Catalina Island

Authorities searched Thursday for a Tustin woman missing since Tuesday while scuba diving near Catalina Island.

Laurel Silver-Valker, 45, dove into the waters off Ship Rock looking for lobsters when she disappeared, said Sgt. Dave Carver of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Yes, it’s that time of the year!

Just like the beginning of any hunting season, every yahoo with diving equipment or a hoop net crowds the waters waiting for midnight, unless you are like these poaching douche bags.

And every year we hear about diver deaths on Opening Night.

So much so, that the DFG has been debating for years on whether to officially start lobster season at dawn.

So far they haven’t changed the start time, probably because it’s a stupid idea and will only push problems later on in the day.

Most have died because of a lack of experience, heart attacks, being run over by a boat or trying to “out macho” other divers.

As far as being a macho lobster hunter, nobody will ever match the lobster hunting of The Duke – so there is no need to go outside of your abilities.

John Wayne took frequent trips to Acapulco, Mexico where he would engage in lobster hunting.

Talk about diving macho…

With no wet suit, gloves or even SCUBA diving equipment, The Duke would free dive down and catch bugs – or as he called them, “Red Coats.”

And, if he did it after 1964, he only had one lung!

Anyway, I have a stand-by spot on a large boat on Opening Night, so there is a good chance that I may not be going out.

I was told to just show up with cash in hand and wait until I get thrown off.

I told Chipper, “I know I’m a dick, but I’m not a total dick.”

Chipper replied, “You sell yourself short, you are a total dick.”

We will see what happens – and my ear has been bothering me again.

But who cares about an ear, I have two.

I have a total of six readers, and want to keep all of them, so be careful tonight.