(L.A.) Carolyn Alvarez, 64, Died on Catalina Island

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Case Number: 2026-01465

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 64-year-old White/Caucasian female who passed away at the USC Wrigley Institute.

The coroner’s office identified the woman as Carolyn Alvarez.

Manner of Death: Accident

Cause of Death: Complications of Scuba Diving

Other Significant Condition: Coronary Artery Disease

RIP CAROLYN RAE ALVAREZ (February 17, 1961 – January 24, 2026)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Saturday.

The decedent had been scuba diving with a male friend about 25 yards offshore near the Casino Point Dive Park off Catalina Island when she began showing signs of distress.

Witnesses helped the man bring her onto the beach and rendered aid until paramedics arrived. She was transported to a medical center on Catalina Island, where she was later pronounced deceased. Her diving partner was evaluated by paramedics but did not require treatment.

My mom died on a dive in Catalina yesterday
byu/Grouchy-Vacation5177 inscuba

The last notable diving-related death in the area of Catalina Island was in 2022 when Justin Hoang drowned. In 2009, Mona Towle died from an air embolus as she was seeking her deep-sea certification.

The USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber is an emergency medical facility on Catalina Island dedicated to treating scuba diving–related injuries. The chamber is located on the waterfront at the Wrigley Marine Science Center, adjacent to a helipad licensed for both day and night helicopter landings. The chamber itself is large enough to treat multiple patients simultaneously and provides sufficient space for staff and volunteers to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and deliver advanced life support to patients who arrive in cardiac arrest.

The Catalina Chamber Crew works closely with the Los Angeles County Medical Alert Center (MAC) and operates as an extension of the Los Angeles County–USC Medical Center’s Department of Emergency Medicine. The chamber is managed by a full-time staff member from the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center and is staffed around the clock by a rotating team of trained volunteers. Financial support is provided by Los Angeles County, as well as donations from individual contributors, dive clubs, dive boat operators, and proceeds from special fundraising events.