OFFICIALS UNSURE HOW SEBASTOPOL ABALONE DIVER DROWNED DURING WEEKEND TRIP WITH FRIENDS

Published on September 7, 2004

© 2004- The Press Democrat

BYLINE:    THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

PAGE: B2

The Sebastopol abalone diver who drowned Sunday had been on the Sonoma County coast camping with friends over the Labor Day weekend.

Nelson Holl, 51, had been abalone diving Saturday and Sunday during a camping outing at Ocean Cove south of Salt Point, said Sgt. Eric Thomson, of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department.

Holl and the others launched their 12-foot boat from Ocean Cove and were north of Salt Point on Sunday afternoon when he drowned.

``He got in the water out of the boat and then we're just not sure what happened after that. His friends just found him floating unresponsive in the water,'' said Thomson, who led the rescue effort by the sheriff's helicopter.

People on the diving boat made a distress call on a marine radio. That was heard by someone on land with a radio scanner who then called 911, Thomson said.

``They had been doing CPR for what they estimated was 15 minutes,'' Thomson said.

The sheriff's helicopter was in Bodega Bay when the call came in at 3:15 p.m. It was able to reach the boat in nine minutes. In just two minutes,

Thomson was lowered on a long line to pick up Holl with a horse collar and the pair were taken to a bluff, where paramedic Dean Anderson attempted to revive Holl.

While the ocean conditions were favorable on Sunday, Thomson said abalone diving still can be strenuous and cold water temperatures are another factor.

Thomson said the county coroner would complete an investigation to determine the cause of death.

Keywords: OCEAN DROWNING DEATH FISHING

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