Houston man, 70, dies while diving in Key Largo

Man diving on private vessel with friend near Craysfort Reef lighthouse

(SXC)

KEY LARGO, Fla. – A 70-year-old Houston man died Saturday afternoon while diving offshore of Key Largo, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.

The man, whose name has not been released, was on a private boat with a woman. The pair were on a dive trip near Craysfort Reef lighthouse at about 4 p.m. when the woman noticed him underwater attempting to inflate his buoyancy compensator, deputies said.

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The woman noticed the compensator had a leak in it and told the man about the issue.

They then surfaced.

The woman told deputies that the man then began to panic and he turned over on his back and began swimming away from her and away from the boat, a news release said. The woman yelled at the man to stop and swam after him.

When she reached him, he was unresponsive and not breathing.

She began to blow a whistle to indicate that she needed help, deputies said, and some good Samaritans on a nearby privately owned vessel helped pull them from the water.

The divers were taken to the Medical Center at Ocean Reef, where the man was pronounced dead at 5:15 p.m.

 The man's death is being investigated.