descent
Contributor
"A 41-year-old woman died over the weekend during a diving excursion in the Keys, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. ... [The diver] jumped into the water and began panicking off Islamorada’s Pleasure Reef. A group pulled her back onto the boat but by then she was unconscious, according to the sheriff’s office. ... " - Miami Herald article - WPLG TV-10 article
— — — edit — — —
According to the charter boat's web site, Pleasure Reef is a shallow dive (25' - 30').
— — — edit — — —
article from her hometown paper, The Ledger
41-Year-Old Lakeland Woman Dies During Diving Trip in the Keys
By Ben Brasch
THE LEDGER
Published: Monday, February 9, 2015 at 10:28 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, February 9, 2015 at 12:29 p.m.
LAKELAND | A 41-year-old Lakeland woman died during an offshore dive trip in the Keys over the weekend, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
PROVIDED TO THE LEDGER
Andrea Moody, of 3721 Featherwood Trail, was getting her final dive certification with her husband, Gordon Moody, 47, and a group just off Islamorada, which is between Key Largo and Marathon, on Saturday when she died.
“I think she just panicked, she wanted back on that boat,” Moody said of his wife.
The couple, who have been married for 13 years, were aboard the boat “Lost Continent” operated by Captain Slate’s Diving Adventures and chartered by a Lakeland company, Deep Six Divers, 1631 E. Edgewood Drive.
The dive was supposed to be at Pleasure Reef that morning.
Just before 10 a.m., Andrea Moody was joining the rest of the group in the water when witnesses say she started panicking almost as soon as she hit the water, the Sheriff’s Office said. By the time the other divers got her back into the boat, she was unconscious.
The crew gave her CPR and took her to the paramedics waiting at the Islamorada Coast Guard station, the Sheriff’s Office said, but she was pronounced dead at Mariner’s Hospital.
The Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy on her body this morning, but will not release a cause of manner of death until toxicology reports come back.
Moody was already in the water when his wife dove in. He said she had a perfect entry.
“Next thing I know, I hear her crying,” he said.
Moody said he and his wife loved their new hobby of diving and that he had never seen his wife panic while diving like she did Saturday.
“I think it was the choppy sea,” he said. “I think it just overwhelmed her.”
Moody said the pair excelled at diving: she got a 97 on her final exam and he got a 99.
They had gone on a lake dive just the week before and stayed 45 feet below the surface for 30 minutes without a problem.
He said they had plans to go on a cruise in April with her side of the family that would stop at the Cayman Islands so they could dive into the infamous scuba haven that is the Grand Cayman.
Moody said his wife was a professional counselor at Living Hope Counseling Center, which is connected to First Baptist Church at the Mall. She also worked part-time as a social worker at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, counseling those with mental health issues.
“She just devoted her whole life to serving other people,” he said.
— — — edit — — —
According to the charter boat's web site, Pleasure Reef is a shallow dive (25' - 30').
— — — edit — — —
article from her hometown paper, The Ledger
41-Year-Old Lakeland Woman Dies During Diving Trip in the Keys
By Ben Brasch
THE LEDGER
Published: Monday, February 9, 2015 at 10:28 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, February 9, 2015 at 12:29 p.m.
LAKELAND | A 41-year-old Lakeland woman died during an offshore dive trip in the Keys over the weekend, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
PROVIDED TO THE LEDGER
Andrea Moody, of 3721 Featherwood Trail, was getting her final dive certification with her husband, Gordon Moody, 47, and a group just off Islamorada, which is between Key Largo and Marathon, on Saturday when she died.
“I think she just panicked, she wanted back on that boat,” Moody said of his wife.
The couple, who have been married for 13 years, were aboard the boat “Lost Continent” operated by Captain Slate’s Diving Adventures and chartered by a Lakeland company, Deep Six Divers, 1631 E. Edgewood Drive.
The dive was supposed to be at Pleasure Reef that morning.
Just before 10 a.m., Andrea Moody was joining the rest of the group in the water when witnesses say she started panicking almost as soon as she hit the water, the Sheriff’s Office said. By the time the other divers got her back into the boat, she was unconscious.
The crew gave her CPR and took her to the paramedics waiting at the Islamorada Coast Guard station, the Sheriff’s Office said, but she was pronounced dead at Mariner’s Hospital.
The Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy on her body this morning, but will not release a cause of manner of death until toxicology reports come back.
Moody was already in the water when his wife dove in. He said she had a perfect entry.
“Next thing I know, I hear her crying,” he said.
Moody said he and his wife loved their new hobby of diving and that he had never seen his wife panic while diving like she did Saturday.
“I think it was the choppy sea,” he said. “I think it just overwhelmed her.”
Moody said the pair excelled at diving: she got a 97 on her final exam and he got a 99.
They had gone on a lake dive just the week before and stayed 45 feet below the surface for 30 minutes without a problem.
He said they had plans to go on a cruise in April with her side of the family that would stop at the Cayman Islands so they could dive into the infamous scuba haven that is the Grand Cayman.
Moody said his wife was a professional counselor at Living Hope Counseling Center, which is connected to First Baptist Church at the Mall. She also worked part-time as a social worker at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, counseling those with mental health issues.
“She just devoted her whole life to serving other people,” he said.
Last edited:
