Abalone diver’s body found
A Pleasanton man who was overcome by rough seas became the latest person to die in Northern California while diving for abalone, officials said.
Rescue divers found the body of Yoshihiro Ohhashi, 57, off the Mendocino coast just after noon Saturday near a spot where he was last seen, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff ’s Office.
The exact cause of his death has not been determined.
At least seven divers have died in Northern California this year while searching for the tasty sea snails, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported. Four deaths occurred in April.
On April 12, three abalone divers drowned after they were overcome by choppy water in Caspar Anchorage, a cove about five miles north of Mendocino. They were identified as Tae Won Oh, 49, of Dublin, Calif.; Hyun Kook Shin, 49, of Suwanee, Ga.; and Aaron Kim, 53, of Fort Lee, N.J.
A week later, on April 21, Joel Falcon, 52, and a friend were searching for abalone in a cove near Westport, about 15 miles north of Fort Bragg, when they became trapped by the rising tide. Falcon tried to climb to safety and fell 75 feet from a bluff.
The latest abalone-diving death occurred after Ohhashi and a friend visited the coast Friday and entered the ocean at Cobbler’s Point in Little River.
Ohhashi’s friend became seasick and got out of the water. As the friend came ashore, he lost sight of Ohhashi. He climbed atop a bluff and saw Ohhashi’s flotation device, which had overturned.
The friend ran to Van Damme State Park for help. Members of the Mendocino Volunteer Fire Department dove into the water and searched inland for Ohhashi. The Coast Guard, sheriff’s office and state parks department also launched search crews.
But as night fell, authorities had to suspend their search until the next day.
Last year, five people died during abalone season, the Press Democrat reported. The season runs April 1 to Nov. 30, with a monthlong break in July.