MENDOCINO (20 Apr 2007) -- A man who drowned off the Mendocino County coast became the third person in two days to die while harvesting abalone in the area, authorities said. The man, whose name was not immediately released, was diving for abalone — a large mollusk harvested for meat that is considered a delicacy — with two friends when he apparently drowned in choppy surf near the Point Arena Lighthouse, his companions told lighthouse manager Rae Lynne Radtkey. He was pulled from the water by one of the friends and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. A day earlier, a 60-year-old Gilroy woman died while abalone picking with a group in the same area, authorities said. An autopsy was pending to determine what killed Selina Sau Yee Cheung, but preliminary investigations suggest she did not drown, Mendocino County Sheriff's Lt. Rusty Noe said Thursday. | | A man who drowned off the Mendocino County coast became the third person in two days to die while harvesting abalone in the area. About 35 miles to the north, Arthur Boyd, 70, of Atascadero, apparently drowned while searching for the mollusks in a cove near Caspar on Wednesday morning, authorities said. Family and friends found him floating face down in the water and pulled him out, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. SOURCE - The Press DemocratSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
