LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.—The scuba diver who went missing off Shaw’s Cove, was rescued 100 yards offshore by lifeguards, and later died in a hospital March 25 had advanced-level training.
The diver was identified as Leon Noel Boyer, 46, of Santa Monica, according to the Orange County Coroner’s office.
He was reported missing around 12:30 p.m. at the popular Laguna Beach dive site and was located one hour later after an extensive search by lifeguards, according to city officials.
Boyer was pronounced dead at Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach at 2:30 p.m., officials said.
Officials from the professional dive training organization PADI confirmed Boyer received his open water certification, or beginner-level training, in 2014, and his advanced in 2016.
According to PADI, advanced certification teaches specialty skills such as deep ocean diving and underwater navigation as core classes, with a choice of several electives including buoyancy control and night diving.
David Watson, a Newport Beach scuba instructor, said in a Facebook post earlier this week that soon after the incident, he was approached by lifeguards who were being “extra cautious,” asking him how long he plans to dive—something generally uncommon—to minimize the risk of another incident.
Watson said the lifeguards told him Boyer had a diving buddy, but she was unable to assist him as he struggled to inflate his buoyancy compensator—a backpack-like device used for ascending and descending—and was frantically swinging his arms and not accepting assistance.
“He had reached true panic and fought off all help,” Watson wrote.
The two got separated during the commotion which is when his dive buddy went to seek lifeguards’ assistance, he said.
The Laguna Beach Lifeguard Department did not respond to a request for comment.
Investigators at the coroner’s office haven’t yet released Boyer’s cause of death.
