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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.
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.