LA JOLLA, Calif., -
A group of divers at La Jolla Shores experienced what one called an "underwater tornado," early Wednesday morning, and they all lived to tell about it.
Six divers went out into the cove at about 5 a.m. to take underwater pictures, but about 20 minutes into the dive, conditions suddenly became very dangerous.
Diver Virginia Hatter has more than 500 dives to her credit -- many into the waters off La Jolla Shores to explore underwater caves. But Wednesday morning, Hatter and her companions were caught in something they had never experienced before.
"I'll be the first to admit, yeah, I was scared," Hatter said. "I saw like a swirling action. It seemed like water and sand.. I used the term 'underwater tornado'," she said.
The group was already about 80 feet below the water's surface, and at first the water was calm. But 20 minutes into the dive, a powerful current came rushing at them, Hatter said. It dragged the group deeper and pulled them farther out, with the potential to suck them deeper into the depths the underwater La Jolla Canyon.
"It started to pull us out west, seaward. That's when I thought, I am no longer comfortable. I don't like this," Hatter said.
Some members of the group clawed and clung to the edge of an underwater cliff. Several minutes later, the group made it to the surface and safety. Hatter said she is grateful that her group was experienced in diving.
"If I had any of my private students this morning, it would've been very difficult," she said.
"We haven't had reports like that in the past," said lifeguard Sgt. John Everhart. "There's thousands of people that dive out here on a regular basis."
So, what was it that sucked Hatter and her group toward the abyss? Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientist Richard Seymour said an unusual wave pattern may explain it. Waves typically move up the coast from the south. La Jolla cove is protected from the wave action by Point Loma, Seymour said. On Wednesday, the wave pattern shifted, and waves rolled into the cove, where they hit calm waters. The waves essentially bounced off the wall of water in the cove, Seymour said.
"The easiest thing for this water to do is just hang a left and go straight out -- an offshore flow," he said.
Hatter and her group were probably caught in the reflection of a group of particularly large waves, Seymour said. Hatter said and her group are lucky they survived it.
"I'm very thankful that we all made the right decisions," she said.
Six divers went out into the cove at about 5 a.m. to take underwater pictures, but about 20 minutes into the dive, conditions suddenly became very dangerous.
Diver Virginia Hatter has more than 500 dives to her credit -- many into the waters off La Jolla Shores to explore underwater caves. But Wednesday morning, Hatter and her companions were caught in something they had never experienced before.
"I'll be the first to admit, yeah, I was scared," Hatter said. "I saw like a swirling action. It seemed like water and sand.. I used the term 'underwater tornado'," she said.
The group was already about 80 feet below the water's surface, and at first the water was calm. But 20 minutes into the dive, a powerful current came rushing at them, Hatter said. It dragged the group deeper and pulled them farther out, with the potential to suck them deeper into the depths the underwater La Jolla Canyon.
"It started to pull us out west, seaward. That's when I thought, I am no longer comfortable. I don't like this," Hatter said.
Some members of the group clawed and clung to the edge of an underwater cliff. Several minutes later, the group made it to the surface and safety. Hatter said she is grateful that her group was experienced in diving.
"If I had any of my private students this morning, it would've been very difficult," she said.
"We haven't had reports like that in the past," said lifeguard Sgt. John Everhart. "There's thousands of people that dive out here on a regular basis."
So, what was it that sucked Hatter and her group toward the abyss? Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientist Richard Seymour said an unusual wave pattern may explain it. Waves typically move up the coast from the south. La Jolla cove is protected from the wave action by Point Loma, Seymour said. On Wednesday, the wave pattern shifted, and waves rolled into the cove, where they hit calm waters. The waves essentially bounced off the wall of water in the cove, Seymour said.
"The easiest thing for this water to do is just hang a left and go straight out -- an offshore flow," he said.
Hatter and her group were probably caught in the reflection of a group of particularly large waves, Seymour said. Hatter said and her group are lucky they survived it.
"I'm very thankful that we all made the right decisions," she said.
