PD Editorial: What to do about Sonoma County's drowning problem

In an editorial eight years ago, we asked readers what more could be done to cut down on the number of drownings and water rescues that are needed each summer in Sonoma County. We are still left to wonder.

At that time, four people had died in just one week. All of the deaths, as is often the case, were of people from outside of Sonoma County who died while abalone diving.

“The question for local elected officials, emergency departments and communities is what - if anything - can be done to prevent further deaths?” the editorial noted. “Are better and more signs needed to warn people of the dangers (in multiple languages)? Should more volunteers be posted at popular diving spots on rough days to talk to visitors about the risks?”

We are pleased to say that many of these steps have since been taken. There are more signs posted, some in more than one language. And visitors from outside the county often encounter individuals who are passing along warnings about the hidden dangers that lurk in the surf, in lakes and along rivers.

But the drownings continue.

So far, the North Coast has experienced at least six this year. Three divers died in April while searching for abalone in Mendocino’s Caspar Cove near Fort Bragg. Observers said the people, who were part of a large group of 12 led by a man from the East Bay, went out in conditions far too treacherous for diving.

Sonoma County has since seen three more people die in its waterways this month alone.

Two perished on the Fourth of July. One was a 14-year-old boy who fell off while being towed across Lake Sonoma atop a floating water toy. The other was a 20-year-old man who died in the Russian River near Monte Rio Beach. Neither was wearing a personal flotation device – and neither knew how to swim.

The third drowning in Sonoma County is perhaps the most difficult to fathom given that it involved a 40-year-old Southern California man who reportedly knew how to swim. The tragedy was compounded by the fact he died at the Russian River’s Sunset Beach where life jackets were being handed out by parks staff. Friends and family members say he wandered away, without a life jacket, to explore the upper river around 2 p.m. and was not seen again. He was found the next morning in about 5 feet of water by search and rescue crews.

It’s always true that local communities, parks officials, merchants and others can do more to spread the word about the need for caution while enjoying Sonoma County’s lakes and waterways. But the burden ultimately is on the visitors themselves to be wise, to use caution and - especially if they are not good swimmers - to use a life jacket while enjoying the water. As Sonoma County witnesses too often this time of year, tragedy can strike in the most beautiful of places and on the most beautiful of days.