At the Sonoma Coast, four divers rescued in two days

Sonoma Coast lifeguards rescued four people from choppy waters and rip tides over the weekend, a rough start to the abalone hunting season that began Friday and lures people to the North Coast’s rugged coastline.

At least two of the four people retrieved from close-call situations were confirmed abalone divers, and another pair were scuba diving with spear guns and other heavy equipment when they were pummeled by waves and then sucked out by a rip tide, State Parks lifeguard Nate Buck said.

“All were close calls,” Buck said. “They maybe lose their gear, but they learned their lesson: Don’t dive when the conditions are hazardous.”

Hundreds of people of varying abilities come to the coast each year to hunt for red abalone, a prized mollusk with buttery meat. Hunting for abalone is highly regulated to preserve its population. Abalone divers enter the water with wetsuits, weighted belts, a pry bar and little else.

The most experienced divers know to wait for calm days on the water and cancel their plans if the surf looks at all menacing, Buck said.

Last year, at least eight people died off the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts while in pursuit of abalone.

Friday, a lifeguard spotted the first diver in distress near South Gerstle Cove at about 11:20 a.m. - less than four hours after the abalone season opened at 8:01 a.m.

Lifeguard Mike Porter saw the man struggling in the surf in a rocky area close to shore, not an ideal place for diving, Buck said. Porter swam out to the man and his fellow lifeguard Joe Stoffers met them on a rescue jet ski. The man was brought to shore unharmed.

On Saturday, volunteers with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office search and rescue team were stationed at various points of the coast to help State Parks personnel keep watch over the coastline.

A volunteer spotted an overturned kayak at about 11:21 a.m. north of Ocean Cove, just offshore in an area of sheer cliffs south of Salt Point State Park. Buck described the area as a “no man’s land.”

The kayaker had been scouting places to dive for abalone when he was knocked over by a wave, he said.

Two people in another kayak were helping him cling to their vessel when Stoffers rode to them on the jet ski, Buck said. He brought the man to shore and Buck retrieved his kayak.

At 3:10 p.m., Buck watched a pair of scuba divers enter the water in Ocean Cove despite a dangerous combination of conditions, including heavy surf breaking into the cove and a strong rip current.

Buck said the divers appeared to panic once they got into the surf, and they were trying to swim back to shore but the current pulled them into deeper waters. Buck estimated they were wearing about 30 pounds of gear, including oxygen tanks, buoyancy vests, weights and spear guns. It wasn’t clear what the men were hunting, as that type of gear is not permitted for abalone, Buck said.

Buck swam out to the divers, who were about 100 yards from shore, and swam them to safety.

“If you see breaking waves, you shouldn’t be diving,” Buck said. “The best divers show up on the most pristine days.”

Buck said that there are many weather forecasting sites geared toward abalone diving that can help people evaluate conditions before they get to the water, including www.stormsurf.com.