Published on Tuesday, August 12, 1997
© 1997 The Press Democrat

Authorities are hoping an autopsy will help determine what led to the death of a diver found drowned off the Mendocino Coast, across from the mouth of the Albion River, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said.

The body of George Leonard Combs, 28, was discovered in 51 feet of water still strapped to his tank with a net full of abalone, sheriff's Lt. Kevin Broin said. It is illegal to dive for abalone with scuba gear.

Combs, of Willits, apparently had gone diving alone about 5 p.m. Thursday, the Sheriff's Office said.

Comb's small, empty boat was spotted the next day, and a member of the county's Underwater Recovery Team found the diver's body next to the anchored craft. It was located about half a mile from the Albion Flats Campground near the Albion River's mouth, authorities said.

An autopsy was conducted Monday, but results were not immediately available, Broin said.

Search again: