Misplaced whereas free-diving Pier J, Lengthy Seashore
BY MERIT MCCREA
LONG BEACH – The LA Fireplace Division and different media reported on leisure free-diver Conner Lees lacking the night of Wednesday December 4th round 9:45 pm. Off-duty, the 29-year-old fireplace fighter was pursuing lobster recreationally with 3 others within the neighborhood of Pier J. When he didn’t resurface 9-1-1 was referred to as for help. With one man aboard their boat and three within the water, solely 2 returned.
The SAR operation was terminated unsuccessfully after 19 hours of looking out with sonar and a number of scuba divers. An L.A. Fireplace Division spokesman stated “The choice to transition to a restoration operation isn’t taken calmly…As we make this transition, our ideas and prayers proceed for the household of the lacking diver and for our brothers and sisters on the Los Angeles Metropolis Fireplace Division.”
That restoration operation continued on into Friday December 6. At 4:00 PM Lees was declared misplaced at sea. The LAFD posted “At roughly 4:00 PM Friday, in spite of everything affordable search efforts had been exhausted, the restoration operation was ended, with Firefighter Lees presumed misplaced at sea. Anybody with info can contact the Lengthy Seashore Police Division Lacking Individuals Element at (562) 570-7246.”
“Firefighter III Connor J. Lees has faithfully served the Metropolis of Los Angeles as a six-year veteran of the Los Angeles Metropolis Fireplace Division, assigned to Fireplace Station 94 within the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw group.”
Each LAFD, Los Angeles and Lengthy Seashore police division dive groups participated within the seek for Lees, with as much as 2 dozen SCUBA divers combing the murky waters and several other vessels concerned.
A GoFundMe arrange for the household of Connor Lees had gathered round $35,000 as of Wednesday December eleventh.
Free-diving is diving executed with out an air provide, in contrast to SCUBA diving. Lobster taken by free-diving native breakwaters is usually executed in comparatively shallow water alongside the uppermost parts of the construction. Divers look into holes and crevices with the help of a shiny underwater gentle. Most breakwaters are porous and waters can surge and circulation by means of and across the rocks. Hazards embrace turning into trapped inside the breakwater, in addition to turning into entangled in misplaced ropes wedged inside the construction.
Free-diving to deeper depths additionally comes with the danger of “shallow water black-out” which is a results of low blood oxygen ranges incurred at depth. Ascending towards the floor causes air inside the lungs to increase and pull out the little oxygen remaining within the diver’s blood stream. The free-diver then looses consciousness only a few ft down just a few seconds earlier than reaching the floor.
Underwater work inside harbors and ports is very dangerous as a result of abundance of traces and ropes left dangling from docks and piles or misplaced among the many constructions, coupled with sometimes murky situations, low visibility and boat visitors.
