SAN PEDRO, Calif. — The Coast Guard Cutter Blacktip, an 87-foot coastal patrol boat, responded to a distress call received early Saturday near Catalina Island.
While on patrol in support of a Coast Guard operation promoting safety at this weekend’s Buccaneer Days event on Catalina Island, the Blacktip responded to a distress call received from a small passenger vessel engaged in spiny lobster fishing three miles west of Isthmus Harbor. According to reports, a 32-year-old male surfaced unconscious following a dive.
The Blacktip arrived on scene first and attempted to resuscitate the individual. Los Angeles County Baywatch Isthmus arrived shortly thereafter and conducted a transport to the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, located on the campus of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies in Two Harbors.
According to reports efforts to resuscitate the 32-year-old male were unsuccessful, and the individual was declared deceased by a USC dive physician. Next of kin notifications were handled by the Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department.
An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the Coast Guard and the Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department.