RIP Rick Hadley

[Bill McIntyre]

A friend of mine died night before last while diving for lobster at Santa Barbara Island. Rick was a hell of a nice guy, and a much better diver than most of us. It seems incomprehensible that he died lobster diving rather than while cutting a big fish out of the kelp on the murky bottom, which he did just last week when he shot his personal best yellowtail, 40.5 pounds, at sunset. This photo was posted on another board. He also took his personal best white sea bass this year.

I hope I'm not upsetting anyone on any board by cross-posting this stuff, but when someone dies, I think its important that the entire community hears as much as possible in hopes that it will prevent future deaths. I'd just give you the link, but these comments are from a board that you can't read unless you are a member. Membership is open to anyone, but I guess management doesn't want non-members lurking. I hope I'll be forgiven for subverting the rules in this case. I'm omitting the many condolence posts, but including a sampling that give a sense of what happened and what it was like for the rest of the guys on the boat.

We left for a hopeful and exciting weekend of yellowtail and lobster as we have done many, many time over the years. I have known Rick since elementary schools and was fortunate enough to get him back into my life 12 years ago with diving as our common interest. We immediately became dive partners and friends that could share anything. we would go through a lot together just trying to live life and using the one sanctity we always had to escape was the ocean. Catalina was blue and 80 viz. I shot the first fish and Jeff .B shot the next. Nothing but smiles on board the Half Dozen. I decided to get under way to SBI so we headed out. Dove the 9 Fathom spot, too dirty, dove the wash rock better but no fish, then dove the other side of that point and whalla Steve P. shoots a nice yellow and sees some bruisers. Rick sees one but no shot just out of range. Excitement is back in the air. After a hour we decide to get setup for the lobster smack down about ready to take place. We anchor south of Sutil just next to the sister rocks. Rick is so fired up he is the first one dressed and in the water. The viz. inside was 5-10 due to a surge that at times was ferocious. Deeper water 20-30 We all get some bugs but its not wide open like we had hoped for. We all get back on the boat around 9 and decide to give it one more try before we take off for calmer waters. Again, Rick is in the water first followed by me in hot pursuit. You see their is always a friendly competition of finding the biggest fish, bug whatever but in the same spirit we truly wanted the other guys to do well. Rick and I found ourselves against this cliff with the surge raging into it at that point I decided to head into deeper water primarily to get better viz. That was the last time I saw Rick alive. We all came back to the boat around 9:45 and wondered where Rick was. Since I can remember being taught by the legends of our sport Harry Ingram, Wes Morrissey we always attach a chem light to our snorkels using electrical tape. This way you can spot your fellow divers easily from the surface. We could not spot Rick's light. We scanned the coast with flood light and no sightings. It is now 10:30 and we are all very, very concerned. I gathered the guys to work a grid of divers and work our way through the kelp where I had last seen him. By midnight I called in the Missing Diver report to the Coast Guard. Many of you heard the PanPan calls throughout the night for a missing diver, 54 year old man where brown bottoms and a green top in the vicinity of SBI. The first helicopter showed up at 1:30 am and started running grid patterns up and down the coast. This went on throughout the night with three helicopters back to back. We manned the radio all night and waited for morning to come. Early morning we were back in the water looking for Rick. We had the Coast Cutter Narwol on site as well as the LA search and rescue boat and eventually the US Park Rangers bringing the LA Sheriff on board. We saw Donny H, Scott D. And Lou on the Sea ******* and special thanks to them for helping out and doing a great job. We created a grid with all of us so the county divers on tanks could work the parameter of the kelp and we could work the bed. At 10:30 Rick's body was found in 20 ft. Of water laying face up with his dive light still on. When I saw him I felt like he could swim at any minute. He looked beautiful and peaceful with everything in tact. We believe he got into the cave somehow became disoriented and drowned. Because of his incredible breath hold I am sure he made one hell of an attempt to get out of there. His body was found outside the cave where we had covered many times throughout the night so we are confident he was in the cave all night. It was far too treacherous for any of us to even think he would be in there as well as any of us entering to find out. I always felt in my heart Rick would be the one pulling me up from 80 feet saving my life. He was an excellent diver with lung capacity second to none. I wanted to thank all the emergency personnel that helped with the recovery and especially my incredible crew, Robert S., Jeff B., Steve P. who showed amazing courage, poise and professionalism in dealing with this tragedy. This is the sport we love and I know Rick will be diving with me for the rest of my life. Encouraging me, smiling at me and laughing. God Bless.

I still can't believe he's gone, when I woke up this am I was hoping it was a terrible nightmare and then had to face the day knowing that it wasn't.

I know you guys looked as hard as you could, you did everything you could and I hope you all realize that. It could have easily been any one of us that didn't come back, it's one of those things that we don't usually think about but all of us know the deal. Freediving is dangerous but it's so much a part of all of us that we don't weigh in the consequences. If Rick were here he'd tell us all the same thing, there was nothing anyone could do and he'd blame no one except himself.

Last night I came home after hearing the news and just held my son and started crying. I couldn't tell my wife what was wrong for several minutes. I'm going to miss that guys booming laugh and boyish grin .

The only comfort I have is knowing he was among his very best friends and had a great day spearfishing and bugging, hopefully he never really felt a thing except maybe confusion and then he went to sleep. If I had to chose a way to go that would be most of my wish.

Thanks for writing that all up Lyle, I know it was hard for you and I appreciate you taking the time to do that, I hope you are okay as well and take some time off to take care of yourself.

Guys - Everyone who knew Rick had the same story - class act, awesome diver, generous and thoughtful. The moment we four, Lyle, Jeff, Robert and I decided he wasn't coming back and we had to weight up, masks on and begin a recovery process was a fucking moment --- two minutes before we had lights on the shore, yelling his name and scouring for that tell-tell sign of his chem-light but to no avail --- then there was a moment when we all realized he's gone. Lyle, Jeff, Robert and I took to the task with a deliberate level-headed "keep it together" attitude -but in the water, I cried. Breath holding I cried. Not wanting to find him, but wanting to find him. Looking back to the boat and seeing things, seeing him on board??? No, just a shadow. Then back at it. "Where are you Rick?, where the **** are you?" For hours we took Lyle's every command as our lead until it was clea rwe needed to "call it in." Thanks to Robert for helping feed copy, words to Lyle as he radio'd Coast Guard. Thanks to Jeff for being so fucking solid. Thanks to Lyle for believing to the very last minute Rick was there -- whistling, yelling out with torch in hand --- And thanks to the LA County divers who found him.

It's a big loss. My heart goes out to his kids, his sister and especially to Donna who was the love of his life. We need to surround her.

My condolences. We were actually out at SBI at the time in the anchorage. It was a very nice day. Around 3:00 in the afternoon, the wind came up and was really bad. The surge and current were very strong. We switched to scuba and grabbed some more bugs before going to sleep. That night, my dive partner saw the CG helicopter circling very low over the anchorage with a search light. In the morning, we saw the CG boat, DFW boat and several others just off the anchorage and knew something bad had happened. Remembering the conditions and terrain, I can see how something like this could easily happen to even the most experienced diver. Be careful out there guys. This one hits close to home. RIP brother spearo.

Please be careful guys. If it could happen to Rick, it could happen to any of us.

 

[bobdonny]

RIP
Sorry for your loss Bill

He seems like a well respected and missed diver.

 

[Stephan Whelan]

Just saw this Bill - terrible terrible loss and I'm so sorry for you!

 

[Simos]

RIP. So sorry for your loss, thanks for taking time to post this for all of us Bill.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Here is the latest.

Memorial service will be held at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach October 10, at 11:00 am. Reception to follow. Hawaiian shirt attire requested.

I don't expect that you guys from Guernsey or Ireland will attend, but I'm posting this just in case someone who actually lives in the area would like to come.

I'm really thankful for the Hawaiian shirt recommendation. I don't have much else that fits anymore.

 

[bobdonny]

Thats a nice touch...
I can't stand suits myself... when I go I would hate people to be uncomfortable in suits... I might just borrow that!
I have 3 really gaudy hawaiwan shirts... I gotta buy some more

 

[mermaidgirl]

Just saw this Bill - terrible terrible loss and I'm so sorry for you!

Hi Stephan
Carla here. Rick was my dearest friend and training partner. I am just devastated. He trained with both Stig and Alexey. They are both shocked especially, Stig as he spent some great times with us enjoying fresh sashimi Rick had shot . Stig lost his best friend Alex, in a dive accident last year.
Sometimes , it just does not seem fair but they died doing what they loved.
See you at DEMA next month
Carla

 

[Mr. X]

Condolences Bill.

I noticed several fatal incidents specifically associated with diving for lobster in the USA in the past. Any idea why that might be? Are there any lessons to be learnt here?

 

[BatRay]

I am sorry for your loss, Bill. It's shocking how things can go south so suddenly.