TV photo coverage: http://www.msnbc.com/local/KING/632781.asp

AND

http://www.seattle-pi.com/local/dive29.shtml
Searchers fail to find diver missing at popular Alki spot

Wednesday, March 29, 2000

By MIKE BARBER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER


Shaun McEwan had just arrived for work at Alki Crab and Fish Co. about
4 p.m. yesterday when one of the many divers who use the popular cove
north of the restaurant calmly told him "we have a diver down in the
water."

As one diver phoned 911, several other divers descended into the water
to search for the lost man. McEwan and John Hendrickson, the owner,
readied a 16-foot aluminum boat at the cafe's dock on the 1900 block
of Harbor Avenue to launch more divers.

But by 5:45 p.m., police divers and rescuers with the Fire Department
conceded that they would have no chance of saving the man's life, and
instead focused on finding his body.

About an hour later, the Coast Guard helicopter flew home, and the
Seattle fireboat left. The search was suspended because it was too
dark and dangerous to send divers down.

Grieving friends and relatives of the missing diver, believed to be in
his late 20s, gathered in Hendrickson's restaurant.

"The mood in there is one of shock," Hendrickson said. "I even feel
it. It's very sad for the diving community."

Pointing to the three inlets lining Alki beach between his restaurant
and Salty's, Hendrickson said, "These three coves are some of the most
awesome places to dive. We have divers who come from Montana and other
places like that just to dive here."

Fire Department spokeswoman Sheila Strehle said the missing man, whose
name was not released, and his partner were diving about 100 yards off
the shore north of Hendrickson's restaurant.

They had gone 130 feet below the surface. They were beginning their
ascent, and at 75 feet, one of the divers noticed the other was not
beside him.

The man stopped and waited until he could see lights and bubbles
below.

Thinking things were OK, he continued to the surface.

"He did not see his partner after that," Strehle said. Both divers
were certified, she said.

McEwan said the missing man's partner and other divers immediately
began looking for a bubble trail but saw none.

Civilian divers got busy with their own search until police, then
fire, divers arrived within 10 minutes, he said.

McEwan said other divers told him the man was wearing a steel tank
with 3,000 pounds of air, and that about 1,500 pounds were left when
he disappeared.

Hendrickson, a former Alaska fisherman who has owned the restaurant
since July, said the diving community who use the cove were in shock,
too.

"It's very smooth" with little tidal effect, he said of the cove,
which quickly drops off to about 130 feet within 100 yards of shore.

The waters off Alki Beach are not considered particularly dangerous,
and are considered ideal training grounds because of their weak
currents, few underwater entanglements and a gradual slope from the
shore, divers said.

Brian Allen, a dive instructor for Lighthouse Diving Centers said the
area is not considered very challenging.

"But it does get quite deep there," he said, adding, "any time you go
underwater you are taking a risk."

Experts say a host of things can go wrong underwater -- a diver can
run out of oxygen or become entangled with underwater items such as
fishing net or kelp. Those hazards could be compounded by poor
visibility. In the area where the diver was missing yesterday,
underwater visibility is 35 feet on a good day, Allen said. On a bad
day, he said, visibility can drop to 10 feet.

"From my experience, most diving problems do not come about from just
one thing," said Allen, who said he became a certified diver in 1990.
"It's a domino effect."


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P-I reporter Mike Barber can be reached at 206-448-8018 or
michaelbarber@seattle-pi.com

P-I reporter Robert L. Jamieson Jr. contributed to this report.