2018 mini season. One down

[Wookie]

Man dies while diving off Key West

The Sheriff’s Office is investigating the Tuesday night death of a 31-year-old Key West man who had been diving on a hookah rig west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico near Cottrell Key.

Jonathan Christopher Saporito, 31, was pronounced dead at Coast Guard Station Key West shortly after the 7 p.m. incident.

The Coast Guard responded to the scene where they found two other men attempting to revive Saporito aboard a private, 24-foot AquaSport boat. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also assisted in the incident.

The witnesses told the Sheriff’s Office they had been diving at a depth of about 22 feet. They stated they were taking turns, with two divers in the water at one time, since roughly 2 p.m. They advised neither drugs nor alcohol were involved. At 7 p.m. one diver came up, but Saporito did not. They tugged on the air line. There was no response. The two men pulled him aboard. He was unresponsive.

They called 911. Sheriff’s Office emergency communicators instructed them on how to perform CPR. The Coast Guard arrived on scene shortly thereafter.

No foul play is suspected. An autopsy is scheduled.

 

[Nick Steele]

Damn that is bad! A week before and it’s already starting. I dread this time of year just because of post like these it scares my girl too much and she doesn’t like it.

Prayers and condolences to friends and family.

 

[IncreaseMyT]

RIP

 

[DandyDon]

Key West man who had been diving on a hookah rig

Those scare me. The chances of intaking Carbon Monoxide seem too great, and testing is not possible without an expensive inline monitor - and even one of those could not alert the diver, unless it just shut off leaving him to do a CESA.

 

[Wookie]

Don't blame you. The only kind of hookah I've ever used had a little gas compressor on it. No filter (that I was aware of). Little outfit called Brownie's Third Lung.

 

[Wookie]

From the Diver's Direct ad for a Brownies Sea Lion.

The Brownies Sea Lion Third Lung provides efficiency, convenience, and reliability. Unlike other surface supplied air diving systems, the Brownie Sea Lion runs on lithium-ion batteries, supplying scuba divers with up to three hours of oxygen. The variable speed technology allows it to run based on diver needs. The speed increases when needed to provide more air to divers and it shuts off when not in use to conserve battery power. A dial allows you to choose between 15, 25 or 65 feet of dive depth. The Brownie Sea Lion can accommodate two divers to 65 feet. With the add-a-diver kit, three divers can go up to 35 feet. This floating hookah system makes diving easy and accessible while serving as a bright and visible diver down marker.

2 divers, 65 feet, 3 hours, and oxygen. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[DandyDon]

The 2018 mini season is July 25-26, isn't it?

 

[Wookie]

The 2018 mini season is July 25-26, isn't it?

You should see the folks in town on their scouting missions. Never seen so many divers here for 24 lobsters.... The base probably has 35 boats parked at the transient housing facilities.

But yes, Mini Season is next week. I figure if folks are scouting, they count.

 

[DandyDon]

I Fedex mine from Maine.

 

[Wookie]

I go to Maine. They really are better fresher.