No injured cavers recorded.
At about noon on Sunday, December 2, Tom Campbell, Cindy Campbell (27) and Dr. Bruce Smith (30) decided to go scuba diving to hunt lobsters in a partially submerged cave. Leaving Campbell's 27-foot boat they entered the cave. They were about 100 yards in when they stirred up enough silt to obscure their vision. Becoming uncertain about the direction out, they decided to wait.
About four hours later they realized they might not have enough air left to make it out, so Tom Campbell took a tank from one of the others and headed out. The other two braced themselves against a sloping rock in an air space and kept out of the water as much as possible. Campbell found the exit at about 6 p.m. but suffered ear trouble and dizziness and could not find his way back.
He was overheard talking to a friend on radio by the Coast Guard and a Ventura County Sheriff's Department Search and Rescue Diving Team was sent off at about 8 p.m. At midnight they were at the scene and were guided to the cave by Campbell. The other two were found in good shape and were out of the cave by 3:30 a.m. Monday, having been trapped for about 14 hours.
The divers were not prepared for underwater caving. They used no safety lines and had only flashlights. If the cave had been more complex, Campbell might not have gotten out. If they had had powerful lights, the silt might not have trapped them.