Scuba diver injured by powerboat off Boca Raton shows improvement
S.C. man in fair condition after propeller slashed shoulder and arm
By Alexia Campbell, Sun Sentinel
7:27 p.m. EST, January 24, 2011
A scuba diver injured by a powerboat propeller Saturday off the coast of Boca Raton is showing signs of improvement, hospital officials said.
James Shelley, 46, was listed in fair condition Monday at Delray Medical Center.
The propeller of a 28-foot boat cut Shelley's shoulder and arms as he surfaced in the ocean Saturday morning, about a mile east of the Boca Inlet, authorities said.
Shelley, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., was flown to Delray Trauma Center in critical condition.
Stay on top of the news: Get breaking news alerts sent directly to your phone
Both the diver and the commercial dive boat he was on had displayed diver-down flags as required by law, said Gabriella Ferraro, spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Jon Berger, 64, was behind the wheel of the Sea Fox powerboat when he heard screams in the water. The propeller had sliced Shelley several times and the dive boat crew pulled him out.
"It was horrifying," said Berger, a part-time resident of Highland Beach. "I'm having nightmares about it."
Berger said he saw the diver-down flag, but thought he was far enough away from it.
Berger returned home Monday to Wilmington, Del., after the brief fishing trip to South Florida. He's praying for Shelley, he said, and waiting to see whether he will face criminal charges.
"I've been boating for 40 years and nothing like this has ever happened," he said.
Berger is cooperating with investigators and charges against him are pending, according to FWC.
State law requires boaters to stay at least 100 feet away from a scuba diver's flag within a river, inlet or channel. In open waters, boats must make a reasonable effort to stay 300 feet away from the flag. Within that area they must move at idle speed.
Between 2004 and 2009, a total of 22 scuba divers in Florida were injured or killed when run over by a boat, according to FWC.
Staff researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report. Alexia Campbell can be reached at
apcampbell@SunSentinel.com or 954-254-8533.
