Georgia man drowns in Big Spanish Channel - Florida

[DandyDon]

Scuba diver drowns | KeysNews.com

BIG PINE KEY: The Florida Fish and Wildlife, Monroe County Sheriff's Office and Coast Guard Key West Sector searched for a missing diver at Big Spanish Channel near Mile Marker 31 after a distress call came in at 4 p.m. Monday, said Lt. Peter Bermont, spokesman for the Coast Guard.
A 60-year-old Georgia man was missing for three hours while scuba diving from a 20-foot center console boat just north off Big Pine Key, Bermont said. A search helicopter from Miami was dispatched but FWC found the unresponsive diver shortly before 4:30 p.m.

 

[DandyDon]

Lobster diver dies during Labor Day weekend in the Lower Keys | News | KeysNet

A Labor Day lobster-diving trip near Big Pine Key proved fatal for a Georgia man.
Larry Rowan, 59, of Tifton, Ga., didn't return to a private boat anchored near the Spanish Harbor Bridge, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
Rowan's body was found about 4:30 p.m. Monday, more than an hour after companions reported him missing. He was still clad in his dive gear when found in shallows near a flat about half a mile from his boat.
There was no injury or other obvious cause of death. An autopsy was scheduled.
Rowan was with his brother-in-law and a friend when all three entered the water around 1:30 p.m. and went their separate ways to seek lobster, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
Both other divers returned to the boat. At 3:15 p.m., they realized Rowan had not returned for a new dive tank or left lobster aboard. The U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission joined the search.
Since Jan. 1, at least 11 people have died in Florida Keys waters while snorkeling or scuba diving.
Rowan's death was the most serious accident reported over the three-day holiday weekend that drew large numbers of visitors to the Keys.