ANACAPA ISLAND, California (10 Apr 2009) — A resident of Santa Barbara died yesterday afternoon while scuba diving off the north end of Anacapa Island. Authorities told CDNN that John B. Koenig, 65, apparently drowned at about 1:00 pm at a depth of about eight meters near Cathedral Cove, a popular scuba diving site. Witnesses said other divers found Koenig unconscious on the seabed with his regulator out of his mouth. They brought him to the surface, pulled him back onboard the Ventura-based Spectre dive charter boat and started CPR. But the victim never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead about a half an hour later. Craig Stevens, senior deputy Ventura County medical examiner, said an autopsy showed that Koenig drowned. Stevens also said the post-mortem examination revealed cardiac disease, however, there was no clear evidence that Koenig suffered a heart attack. Authorities said Koenig was a novice diver who learned to scuba dive in January. He died on his 14th dive. | 
