4TH ABALONE HUNTER IN 5 DAYS DIES: OAKLAND DIVER DIES NEAR FORT BRAGG
Published on April 23, 2007
© 2007- The Press Democrat
BYLINE: RANDI ROSSMANN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
PAGE: A1
An Oakland man who had been diving for abalone died Sunday near Fort Bragg -- the fourth abalone hunter to die off the Mendocino County coast in five days.
Craig Sangalli, 51, was diving with his teenage son Sunday morning in a cove while Sangalli's wife watched from a cliff, said Mendocino County Sheriff's Sgt. Shannon Barney.
The family was renting a vacation home along the ocean, south of Fort Bragg.
About midmorning, Sangalli appeared to be in trouble after climbing out of the ocean onto some rocks offshore and began taking his swim fins off.
``He was experiencing some type of problem, we're really not sure what it was,'' Barney said.
The son and Sangalli's wife yelled for help, catching the attention of two other divers across the cove, Barney said.
But it took a while for them to reach Sangalli. The rocks were jagged and were covered in places by slippery seaweed.
Sangalli's wife climbed down a ladder from the cliff above, and she and a diver performed CPR on him for an extended period of time, Barney said.
At about 10:40 a.m., Fort Bragg firefighters were called to the scene south of Fort Bragg where Schoefer Lane meets the cliff. When they arrived and got to the man, they found he had died, officials said.
Initial reports were that more than one person was in trouble in the water, but Sangalli was the only one, officials said.
The Sonoma County sheriff's helicopter, which was at Sea Ranch, flew to Fort Bragg to help in the search for any other possible divers, said Sgt. Eric Thomson, who supervises the helicopter unit.
The helicopter was used to lift Sangalli's body from the rocks to the top of the cliff, where other rescue crews were.
What happened to Sangalli won't likely be clear until an autopsy is conducted, possibly today.
But law enforcement officers who've responded to many such cases over the years said Sunday's death may fit a pattern of middle-aged, out-of-shape divers who may misjudge how tough it is to abalone dive.
``A lot of these turn out to be heart attacks. The ocean works you so hard,'' Barney said.
Sangalli is the fourth abalone diver to die along the coast since abalone season started April 1.
On Thursday, Mang Jay Yang, 36, of Suisun was pulled from extremely rough waters near Sea Lion Rocks near the Point Arena Lighthouse. Yang apparently drowned, officials said.
It was the same area where Selina Sau Yee Cheung, 60, of Gilroy died Wednesday morning while hunting abalone. Officials believe she may have died of a heart attack.
At about the same time of Cheung's death Wednesday, the body of Arthur Boyd, 70, of Atascadero was pulled from the ocean in Caspar, about 35 miles north of Point Arena. Officials said they believe Boyd drowned.
You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.
PHOTO: 1 by LARRY R. WAGNER
MAP: 1 by Press Democrat: Abalone diving deaths
Sonoma County sheriff's paramedic Sean Cotton is lowered by helicopter to join Fort Bragg firefighters Nathan Orsi, center, and Lt. Mike Ciancio to arrange to lift the body of diver Craig Sangalli from the rocks along the coast south of Fort Bragg on Sunday.
Keywords: FISHING DROWNING DEATH INITIAL
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