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Man Dies On Opening Day Of Lobster Mini-Season
Diver Dies At Biscayne National Park
NBC 6 News Team
POSTED: 2:22 p.m. EDT July 30, 2003
UPDATED: 2:36 p.m. EDT July 30, 2003
MIAMI -- A man died while diving on the opening day of the lobster mini-season in Florida, officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
The case has been handed over to the Miami Police Department, officials said Wednesday.
Sources told NBC 6 the unidentified man was scuba diving with a group of friends who took out two boats near 9700 S.W. 328 Street inside Biscayne National Park, when some of his buddies who were in the water noticed he was having trouble. The friends brought the man to the surface and back onto the boat.
The friends drove the boat to Broad Key and called 911. Air rescue teams arrived and transported the man to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Lobster mini-season ends at midnight on Thursday. The precursor to the official opening of spiny lobster sport fishing season takes place each year on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July. The regular lobster season begins on Aug. 6 and closes March 31.
Each year, fish and wildlife officials warn divers of the increased accidents, heart attacks, dive gear failures and even deaths that take place during the season, which officials say is made worse by increased traffic on the waters, and the presence of inexperienced boaters and divers.
Diver Dies On First Day Of Lobster Mini-Season
POSTED: 12:36 p.m. EDT July 30, 2003
UPDATED: 1:20 p.m. EDT July 30, 2003
HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- A diver on the water for the first day of the lobster mini-season drowned this morning, according to Miami-Dade County police.
Police don't know what went wrong, but said by the time he was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital, he was dead.
"The trouble was encountered out on the water. His dive partner brought him to the surface," said Randy Rossman of the Miami-Dade County police.
Biscayne National Park rangers say lobster mini-season usually draws thousands of divers. They're urging people to have a plan in case of an emergency and adhere to the following guidelines:
Check your equipment.
Dive with a buddy.
Use surface marker buoys.
Wear depth and gauge compasses.
Know your location in case you need to be rescued.
Rangers also encourage divers to let someone know where they will be diving in case they run into trouble.
07/30/2003
Deadly Dive
HOMESTEAD -- A deadly start to the lobster mini season when a diver apparently drowns in Homestead's Bayfront Park.
A party of two boats, who were participating in the amateur lobster mini season, launched this morning from Homestead's Bayfront Park.
They were diving in the Broad Creek area when one of the divers got into trouble.
Witness Ricky Rioja says, "Some lady asked us on our boat...we were about 50 feet away...if we had some radar so we could see because they lost one of their divers or something."
Officials say that friends were able to pull the unconscious diver out the waters in Broad Creek and take him over to Broad Key. At that point Miami-Dade Air Rescue responded to the scene and air-lifted him to the hospital.
Randy Rossman of the Miami-Dade Police Department says, "He was airlifted by Air rescue to Jackson Memorial where at this time I have been informed that he is deceased."
Witnesses say the group did not know their GPS location which wound up delaying the rescue that could have saved the divers life.
Police are not releasing the name of the diver or his age.
They believe he was the victim of drowning although they have not yet determined the exact cause of death.
Marc
Diver Dies At Biscayne National Park
NBC 6 News Team
POSTED: 2:22 p.m. EDT July 30, 2003
UPDATED: 2:36 p.m. EDT July 30, 2003
MIAMI -- A man died while diving on the opening day of the lobster mini-season in Florida, officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
The case has been handed over to the Miami Police Department, officials said Wednesday.
Sources told NBC 6 the unidentified man was scuba diving with a group of friends who took out two boats near 9700 S.W. 328 Street inside Biscayne National Park, when some of his buddies who were in the water noticed he was having trouble. The friends brought the man to the surface and back onto the boat.
The friends drove the boat to Broad Key and called 911. Air rescue teams arrived and transported the man to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Lobster mini-season ends at midnight on Thursday. The precursor to the official opening of spiny lobster sport fishing season takes place each year on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July. The regular lobster season begins on Aug. 6 and closes March 31.
Each year, fish and wildlife officials warn divers of the increased accidents, heart attacks, dive gear failures and even deaths that take place during the season, which officials say is made worse by increased traffic on the waters, and the presence of inexperienced boaters and divers.
Diver Dies On First Day Of Lobster Mini-Season
POSTED: 12:36 p.m. EDT July 30, 2003
UPDATED: 1:20 p.m. EDT July 30, 2003
HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- A diver on the water for the first day of the lobster mini-season drowned this morning, according to Miami-Dade County police.
Police don't know what went wrong, but said by the time he was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital, he was dead.
"The trouble was encountered out on the water. His dive partner brought him to the surface," said Randy Rossman of the Miami-Dade County police.
Biscayne National Park rangers say lobster mini-season usually draws thousands of divers. They're urging people to have a plan in case of an emergency and adhere to the following guidelines:
Check your equipment.
Dive with a buddy.
Use surface marker buoys.
Wear depth and gauge compasses.
Know your location in case you need to be rescued.
Rangers also encourage divers to let someone know where they will be diving in case they run into trouble.
07/30/2003
Deadly Dive
HOMESTEAD -- A deadly start to the lobster mini season when a diver apparently drowns in Homestead's Bayfront Park.
A party of two boats, who were participating in the amateur lobster mini season, launched this morning from Homestead's Bayfront Park.
They were diving in the Broad Creek area when one of the divers got into trouble.
Witness Ricky Rioja says, "Some lady asked us on our boat...we were about 50 feet away...if we had some radar so we could see because they lost one of their divers or something."
Officials say that friends were able to pull the unconscious diver out the waters in Broad Creek and take him over to Broad Key. At that point Miami-Dade Air Rescue responded to the scene and air-lifted him to the hospital.
Randy Rossman of the Miami-Dade Police Department says, "He was airlifted by Air rescue to Jackson Memorial where at this time I have been informed that he is deceased."
Witnesses say the group did not know their GPS location which wound up delaying the rescue that could have saved the divers life.
Police are not releasing the name of the diver or his age.
They believe he was the victim of drowning although they have not yet determined the exact cause of death.
Marc
