My office overlooks the cove in La Jolla where, 365 days a year, from dawn to dusk, there are people swimming out to the bouys and back.
Right now, there’s a helicopter circling and lifeboats cruising around. They’ve lost a swimmer out there this morning. 53 year old man. Somebody’s husband/father/son/brother won’t be coming home today.
There, but for the grace of God, go I.
That is sad,sorry to hear that. When I lived in San Diego anb did a lot of scuba there was sad but every year lost at least one diver out either in the Cove or the canyon. …yes it is said…
I was jumping off the cliffs at the cove several years ago and someone told me that was a great white shark breeding ground? Is that true?
Hopefully the missing person is at the bar up the road having a margarita!
I was jumping off the cliffs at the cove several years ago and someone told me that was a great white shark breeding ground? Is that true?
No, not true at all.
Naw,when I lived in San Diego there were a lot of stories of shark attacks etc…and great whites breeding and having their pups out there…don’t think so although some big ones have been seen farther north near Scripps…in Scripps canyon itself…those sitings were confirmed by a guy who used to work for the university and led Saturday am dives in Scripps canyon.
**
There, but for the grace of God, go I.
This is sad, and scarry.
I was a decent swimmer in my youth (sub 16:30 1500 m) and I can still get along ok in the water but as strong a swimmer as I am, I am still extremely respectful of open water. I don’t worry about dieing in the water as much as I worry about getting killed by a car on my bike but no matter how well you can swim, once you can’t for any reason, your options are very limited if you don’t have someone watching your back.
Wow, this is really terrible. Do you have any information of the specifics?
Heart attack? Drowning?
Not true…are you sure 
.
Julian,
Please give us an update on these unfortunate events if and when said information becomes available.
Thank you,
Tom.
Wow, this is really terrible. Do you have any information of the specifics?
Heart attack? Drowning?
They don’t know. His mates realized he wasn’t with them at the turnaround. **
A half dozen search divers just went out there about 20 minutes ago.
Shit, man. I swim out there alone all the time in the summer. Last summer, I started swimming without my short sleeve wetsuit top for the first time. I’m going to start wearing it again since it’s so bouyant. This scares the crap out of me. It is so freaking easy to get in trouble in the water.
It is extremely easy for a normal situation to become a bad one quickly in open water.
Like aviation, open water swimming is inherently unforgiving. Mistakes can be punished harshly by mother nature.
It pays to take every safety precaution possible. You can’t be too careful.
Please be careful Julian, and your mates as well. Keep us posted.
Tom.
Definitely not true. Swimming in the ocean may not be completely safe but it is not because of sharks.
There have been 10 fatal shark attacks and about 100 nonfatal ones in all of California in the last 50 years. I don’t know but my guess is that the majority of those are up north in the “bloody triangle.” I think there has been one fatal shark attack in SD county in the last 50 years.
If there are a bunch of great whites living here, they are keeping a pretty low profile.
My experience with sharks is somewhat limited since I don’t live near the ocean, but I have been swimming and diving with sharks.
Shark attacks are extremely rare. Even when sharks are present, they seem to be pretty disinterested in people based on what I have seen myself. They might hang out for a few minutes and then the next time you look back to check on them they are just gone.
I think they are somewhat afraid of people or just too dumb for people to register unless they are agitated or extremely hungry or whatever.
The terrible circumstance Julian is describing sounds like a possible drowning, heart attack or other situation.
What is a relatively minor emergency on land easily evolves into a fatal accident in the open water. Sharks are the least of your worries.
I, too, swim there often… This is from the San Diego - Channel 10 website…says the guy is from Colorado and doesn’t normally swim in the ocean…hummmmm…be careful everyone…always swim with a partner!
---------------------------------------------- Search Continues For Missing Swimmer Woman Notices Swimming Partner Disappears
POSTED: 11:56 am PST March 24, 2004 UPDATED: 3:28 pm PST March 24, 2004
**SAN DIEGO – **Divers continue to search for a missing swimmer in the La Jolla Cove area, 10News reported.
**Slideshow**    **MISSING SWIMMER** **Images: **Search For Missing Swimmer  
Around 10:20 a.m., a woman reported that her father was missing. She explained that while swimming from La Jolla Shores to La Jolla Cove, she lost track of him.
During the height of the search, the San Diego Police Department helicopter, Copter 1 and 20 lifeguards in scuba gear scanned the waters.
If the man is not found Wednesday, rescue crews will resume their search Thursday.
The man, who is from Colorado, swims regularly, however, not in the ocean.
Julian, I hate to be a wet blanket, but. . .Never never never swim alone in the ocean. Never.
As you say, it’s freaking easy to get in trouble out there, and if you’re in trouble and alone, you’re *really *in trouble. A wetsuit won’t be much help in most bad situations out there.
Bring a swim buddy, or get someone to kayak with you, or at the very least, have someone competent watch you from shore. I’d sooner bike without my helmet than do an ocean swim by myself.
Bring a buddy and watch out for each other!
I second what vitus979 said.
Julian, I hate to be a wet blanket, but. . .Never never never swim alone in the ocean. Never.
Yeah. I’ve pretty much decided on that. I got home tonight and my wife was watching it on the news. She’ll kill me if I go near the water alone and without a wetsuit on.
***Colorado man dies diving at La Jolla Cove ***
4:13 p.m. March 24, 2004
SAN DIEGO – A 53-year-old Colorado man went missing today during a swim with his daughter in the La Jolla Cove area, prompting a large-scale search that ended with the discovery of his body hours later, officials said. 
The woman made an emergency call reporting her father’s disappearance in the ocean about 11 a.m., San Diego lifeguard Lt. Brant Bass said.
About 20 police and lifeguard scuba divers searched the coastal waters into the afternoon, with help from an emergency services helicopter crew and the Coast Guard.
Shortly after 3 p.m., one of the divers found the man’s body in deep water, near where he had vanished, Bass said. There was no immediate indication of what led to his death, the lieutenant added.
Officials withheld the name of the victim, who was visiting children in the San Diego area, pending notification of relatives.
Julian, I hate to be a wet blanket, but. . .Never never never swim alone in the ocean. Never.
Why do you say that? I’m wondering because I’ve done a few 2 mile ocean swims by myself and didn’t really think about the fact that I was alone. Don’t surfers go out alone? Also, does it really matter if people are with you if you don’t stay together during the swim? I did an open water swim with ~40 people this weekend but there was no one anywhere near me for 90% of the swim. Apparently this unfortunate fellow swam w/ friends but because they didn’t swim as a group, there was no one around when something went wrong.
jaylew,
Yes, even in a group a person can go under and not be noticed. I’m going back to swimming in a wetsuit. The bouyancy of it gives a much larger margin of error in the event of a bad situation.