4 Divers Rescued Near Salt Point As Abalone Season Opens On Sonoma, Mendocino Coasts
One of the rescues happened on Friday, the first day of the abalone season.
Herb Williams works at Petaluma Sport & Dive Shop, and said a lot of inexperienced divers come to the coast looking for abalone. Last season, eight abalone divers died.
"We've had very experienced people go out there when they shouldn't, just because they're so experienced, they're brave enough to try going out there when they shouldn't," Williams said.
The two divers rescued near Salt Point were either swept out by the tide, or caught in the rough surf.
Luckily, there were life guards patrolling the area.
Diving for abalone requires skill. Free-diving for abalone requires a wetsuit, weights, a mask, and an abalone knife. It can take up to a minute or more of breathless diving to find the catch.
"You swim along, you find your ab, you check 'em for length and make sure it's legal, then you gotta pry 'em off a rock," Williams said.
Riptides can catch even experienced divers off guard, or they can get caught in kelp. Strong waves have also slammed divers against rocks. Williams has spoken with many of the divers who eventually died on the coast, and always has advice for inexperienced customers.
"Some of them tell me it's their first time out, and I always advise first timers to go with some experienced person, because, well there's a couple reasons; it's awful hard to find abalone if you don't know how to look for them, and also, it can be dangerous," Williams said.