Texan dead - Florida Keys

[DandyDon]

Texas man dies in Florida Keys diving incident

KEY LARGO, Fla. — Authorities say a Texas man has died while diving with a friend off the Florida Keys.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Sunday that the 70-year-old man was from Houston, but his name was not immediately released.

Investigators say the man and a female friend were on their second dive Saturday near a lighthouse off Key Largo. The friend told authorities the pair resurfaced after she noticed a leak in a piece of his equipment.

The man panicked and began swimming away from their boat. Investigators say the woman swam after him and found him unresponsive and not breathing.

They were taken aboard a nearby private boat and then assisted by the Coast Guard and state wildlife officers. The death is under investigation.

 

[kekomixtle]

My condolences to his family and friends.

The friend told authorities the pair resurfaced after she noticed a leak in a piece of his equipment.

The man panicked and began swimming away from their boat.

That's an odd reaction. Was he not properly weighted and struggling to stay afloat? Maybe he had some health issue.

In this other source it gives a little bit more detail. Texas man dies diving off Key Largo

Texas man dies diving off Key Largo
FLKEYSNEWS.COM
JULY 09, 2017 12:50 PM
A 70-year-old Houston man died while diving off Key Largo Saturday afternoon, police say. His name was not released pending notification of next of kin.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says the man was on a private boat with a friend and the two were on their second dive of the day near the Carysfort Reef Lighthouse around six miles off Key Largo just after 4 p.m. The victim’s dive buddy told deputies David Minor and John Babula she saw him underwater attempting to inflate his buoyancy compensator and noticed it had a leak in it. She told him and they surfaced, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Becky Herrin said.

The dive buddy said at that point, the victim “seemed to begin panicking,” Herrin said. She said the victim turned over on his back and began swimming away from her and away from the boat. “When she realized what was happening, she said she yelled to him to stop and swam after him. When she reached his location, he was unresponsive and not breathing,” Herrin said.

The dive buddy had a whistle with her and she began to blow, indicating her need for help. A nearby privately owned boat responded, pulling the victim and witness from the water and radioing for assistance. The U.S. Coast Guard responded and took the victim to shore at the Ocean Reef Club in North Key Largo. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission took the dive buddy to shore.

Paramedics from Ocean Reef Public Safety pronounced the victim dead at 5:15 p.m. An autopsy is likely.

 

[Steelyeyes]

Sounds like panic developed into something else. Condolences to the family and friends.

 

[Steve_C]

It is not obvious from the report that he was still not at the surface when she reached him. Swimming rapidly away from help and away from the boat is an odd response.