Diver Safely Rescued After Getting Into Distress at California’s Point Lobos

Emergency crews responded to Whalers Cove at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve after receiving reports of a diver in distress.

A scuba diver has been safely rescued after getting into distress at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve on California’s Central Coast.

Emergency services were called to Whalers Cove at approximately 1:32 p.m. on Monday, August 24, following reports of a diver requiring assistance.

According to CAL FIRE’s San Benito-Monterey Unit, multiple agencies responded to the incident and the diver was successfully recovered. 

Local news outlet KSBW independently reported the rescue, citing CAL FIRE and confirming that emergency crews had responded to a diver in distress at the reserve. 

No further information has been released about what caused the diver to get into difficulty, and there has been no confirmed indication of an equipment problem, medical emergency or other contributing factor.

Diving at Point Lobos

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is a well-established scuba diving location near Carmel-by-the-Sea in Monterey County.

California State Parks describes the waters around the reserve as one of California’s richest marine habitats. Divers can encounter extensive kelp forests along with rockfish, lingcod, harbor seals, sea otters and other marine life. 

Diving within the reserve is tightly controlled. California State Parks permits diving only at Whalers Cove and Bluefish Cove, with certification and advance dive reservations required. A maximum of ten dive teams are permitted each day. 

Whalers Cove, where Monday’s rescue took place, is therefore one of the reserve’s designated scuba entry areas.

Authorities have not released further information about the rescued diver or the circumstances that led to the emergency.