Diver dies off Mendocino Coast

A Manteca man died last week while diving for abalone, the third person to perish this season while hunting the mollusk on the Mendocino Coast.

Robert Hagedorn, 69, had been diving in the ocean at Van Damme State Park for about 15 minutes on June 7 when one of his four companions saw that he was struggling, said Mendocino County Sheriff’s Lt. Shannon Barney.

“He was yelling for help,” Barney said. Hagedorn sank and surfaced several times before his friend reached him. He was unresponsive by the time his friends were able to pull him from the water and into their Zodiac inflatable boat, still wearing his weight belt, Barney said. They transported him to the beach, where they were met by emergency responders who attempted to revive him, he said. Hagedorn was pronounced dead at the scene, Barney said.

Two other men have died while diving for abalone since early May. David Tan Le, 57, of Oakland, and Kevin Francis Frewen, 57, of Carmichael, both drowned, Barney said.

The cause of Hagedorn’s death has not yet been determined.