Joseph Noah, a 57-year-old man from Forestport, New York, passed away on Saturday morning after being found unconscious by other divers about 100 yards off the north end of Shaw’s Cove.
Lifeguards responded to a call for a scuba diver rescue around 8:56 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, to the 1000 block of Cliff Drive. When lifeguards arrived on the scene, Capt. Kai Bond said other scuba divers were attempting to paddle the unconscious man to the beach. Bond said they were able to keep him afloat, and lifeguards entered the water to bring him ashore.
Bond said CPR was performed on Noah, who remained unresponsive, not breathing, and without a pulse. Noah was transported in full cardiac arrest to Mission Hospital, Laguna Beach, where he was pronounced dead at 9:57 a.m.
The Orange County Coroner lists Noah’s cause of death as “salt water drowning while scuba diving.”
Noah had reportedly been diving alone. Bond said when he arrived on scene, he interviewed a number of divers on the beach who had witnessed him walk down the stairs by himself before entering the water.
“It’s a tragic event,” Bond said. “Our thoughts are with his family.”
