Advertisement

Man dies after going missing while free diving at Crystal Cove

Share

A 27-year-old man died Saturday afternoon after he failed to resurface while free diving with a friend at Crystal Cove State Park.

Wesley Kim of Reseda was diving without scuba gear about 400 yards from shore at Scotchman’s Cove, a well-known diving spot. The two friends had made several dives to depths of about 45 feet before Kim’s final dive at about 1:40 p.m., said California State Parks spokesman Kevin Pearsall.

When Kim hadn’t come up after about five minutes, his friend flagged down a boat and called Newport Beach and Laguna Beach lifeguards, who began searching for Kim. They found him unresponsive at 3 p.m., and he was pronounced dead at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach shortly after, Pearsall said.

Advertisement

“Why he went down and didn’t come up on this dive is unknown,” Pearsall said. “There was no obvious trauma to his body.”

Pearsall said Kim and his friend appeared to be experienced divers.

Crystal Cove, a protected marine habitat between Laguna Beach and Corona del Mar, has for years attracted scuba and free divers to its views of undersea life.

Advertisement