Man dies while scuba diving off Crescent Bay

Mike Swanson

A Huntington Beach resident died Sunday while scuba diving with six

acquaintances off Crescent Bay Beach.

Phuc Le, a 35-year-old dentist, was pronounced dead on arrival at

South Coast Medical Center at 10:49 a.m. The cause of death is

pending investigation, including a toxicological study and analysis

of Le’s scuba gear, said Joseph Luckey, watch commander for the

Orange County coroner’s office.

“The surf was only one to two feet Sunday,” Laguna Beach Chief of

Marine Safety Mark Klosterman said. “It was what we consider a

relatively safe day to dive, and all beaches throughout the city were

open for diving.”

Klosterman said Laguna Beach Marine Safety officers make about 300

scuba-related rescues a year and see an average of three scuba-diving

deaths a year. He said most problems occur on the surface of the

water, which is where Le apparently encountered trouble.

Laguna Beach Police Det. Paul Litchenberg said Le and his diving

partner, 59-year-old Garden Grove resident Jeffrey Chu, were

separated from the rest of the group they were with. Chu said he

received the universal OK signal from Le when they came to the

surface after about 45 minutes of diving at 40-foot depth, then Chu

swam to shore.

Chu started removing his gear, looked out, saw Le floating on the

surface in about the same spot he last saw him, 150 yards from the

sand, then waved frantically until the other divers saw him. A diver

pulled Le to shore with help from lifeguard Ed Wilson, who

administered CPR but couldn’t revive Le.

Officer Matt August tried to interview the six divers apparently

swimming with Le, but said the language barrier was too significant

to get much information. He said he wasn’t sure if they were all

friends or part of a diving group, but knew all seven had driven

separately to Crescent Bay Beach.

“I couldn’t even get a name,” August said. “I got a lot of shaking

heads and had to search Le’s car to find out who he was.”

Chu said he thought Le had been diving for about nine months,

which Klosterman said is considered a novice in the diving community.

August found a valid diver’s permit in Le’s car.

“When the surf’s really rough,” Klosterman said, “the waves

sometimes knock divers out and they drown. But in conditions like

this, I just can’t see that happening. A number of scuba deaths are

heart attacks, but we’ll have to wait for the coroner to get the

official word.”

The coroner’s office should complete its investigation in about

three weeks, Deputy Rod Thomas said Thursday.