Boca Grande accident?

[FloridaRanger]

Someone told me they saw a story on the news about a spearfisherman in Boca Grande FL getting entangled on a piling and drowning after shooting a grouper last weekend. Nothing I can find on Google. Anyone know anything about this?

[Haiko]

A 23-year-old Port Charlotte man died while diving in Boca Grande Pass on Friday, June 18.

Michael P. O’Donnell and his brother were spearfishing at about 7 p.m. The Boca Grande Fire Department responded and CPR was attempted.

The incident occurred in front of Boca Bay by the old phosphate docks.

O’Donnell was a 2005 graduate of Lemon Bay High School and was known as “Snookilla” by his friends. He was the son of Cathy Rosato O’Donnell (Roger) Redman of Port Charlotte and Joseph (Marcia) O’Donnell of Danbury, Conn.

Arrangements have been made by Englewood Community Funeral Home and Cremation Service. The guestbook address is englewoodfh.com.

Local authorities turned the investigation over to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Their spokesman could not provide any further details.

Source: The Boca Beacon is the Weekly Newspaper of Boca Grande, Florida: BocaBeacon.com Blog Archive Man dies while spearfishing in Pass (http://www.bocabeacon.com/?p=4461)

That's all I could find using google...

[FloridaRanger]

Thanks Haiko. You are a better Googler than me. I wonder what happened? The story I got sounded like he was lineshafting and somehow got wrapped around a piling, but I have no idea whether that is correct. Condolences to the family.

[Scott L]

I am guessing entanglement, mild panic including dropped single source cutting device near the end of the dive and gas supplies. Way too young to perish...

[Wookie]

Do many dive with riding rigs in Florida? I thought that was a rig diver thing. Most of the spearos I know free shaft.

[Scott L]

The spearos around here utilize anything but free-shafting for the most part. Either a 400lb mono lead or reels then very quickly float either fish or entire mess to the surface....

[FloridaRanger]

My Biller is rigged for line shafting but all I've ever done is free shaft. Most of the guys on the boat I go out on freeshaft. Rarely do they lineshaft. But I have been spearfishing for less than a year and haven't shot any giant monster fish. I hunt hogs, grouper and snapper. I'll admit I have shot through and lost some pretty big fish and wished a few times I had the line rigged up. I've recently made some minor gear adjustments to avoid that happening again.

[FloridaRanger]

The spearos around here utilize anything but free-shafting for the most part. Either a 400lb mono lead or reels then very quickly float either fish or entire mess to the surface....

Val, what are they shooting?

(Forgive my ignorance. My few East Coast dives have been sightseeing/lobstering trips.)

[Scott L]

Val, what are they shooting?

(Forgive my ignorance. My few East Coast dives have been sightseeing/lobstering trips.)

Some nice Cobia lately. Also, Gag and Black Grouper since season opened May 1 but Mutton Snapper and Hogs seems to be the most plentiful species taken with my group anyway...

[nancygc]

You should know: According to his grandmother, Michael died from shallow water blackout. There was no entanglement, he simply sank to the bottom and drowned. For more information, Google Englewood Edge, our online newspaper.

[FloridaRanger]

Thank you Nancy. I didn't know he was freediving. It is a very sad story. Such a young man.