Authorities today identified a scuba diver whose body was recovered in Emerald Bay on Santa Catalina Island after he went under water on Monday and never resurfaced.
The body, discovered on Thursday, was that of Jared Royer, 40, of St. George, Utah, said coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter.
Royer’s death marked at least the third scuba diving death in Southern California since lobster season opened Sept. 27. He was part of a group on the dive boat Sand Dollar. He surfaced Monday night, yelled for help, then went under, the captain of the boat told authorities.
“Diving is a sport that leaves little room for error and we urge everyone who is in the water to make safety a top priority,” U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Jennifer Williams said earlier this week.
Emerald Bay, one of the region’s top snorkeling and scuba diving spots, is on the west end of the island, about 2 miles northwest of Isthmus Cove at Two Harbors.
