NOAA diver dies off Key Largo

[deeper thoughts]

A diver who worked for the NOAA National Undersea Research Program's Aquarius laboratory in waters off Key Largo died during a dive Tuesday afternoon.

######, 36, worked as a scientific diving specialist, a habitat technician for the Aquarius. He was working on a project just outside the facility with two other divers who found him unconscious on the bottom, the Monroe County SheriffÃÔ Office says.

#### was returned to the facility and CPR was performed. Two U.S. Navy divers helped in the resuscitation efforts, but Smith was declared dead at 3:47 p.m.

An autopsy will be done Wednesday to attempt to determine the cause of his death.

Aquarius is an underwater ocean laboratory three and half miles offshore in 60 feet. ItÃÔ owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and operated by the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. Numerous astronauts have trained there to simulate weightlessness in space.

 

[deepstops]

From the Miami Herald:
NOAA research diver dies off shore of Key Largo - Florida AP - MiamiHerald.com

NOAA research diver dies off shore of Key Largo
The Associated Press
KEY LARGO, Fla. -- Authorities are investigating the death of a research diver for NOAA's underwater laboratory off Key Largo.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office says an autopsy would be performed Wednesday on 36-year-old Dewey Smith.

He was working Tuesday afternoon with two other divers just outside the National Marine Sanctuary when he was found unconscious on the bottom. Authorities say he was taken back to the facility, but CPR efforts were not successful.

Smith worked for the National Undersea Research Program's Aquarius laboratory. He was a scientific diving specialist. The laboratory is three and half miles offshore and 60 feet deep.

Scientists live in Aquarius during ten-day missions using saturation diving to study and explore the coastal ocean.

 

[tlsnell]

sad to hear of this loss

 

[Couv]

Very sad indeed.
Has there been any determination made as to the cause?

Thanks,

couv

 

[BobbyT22]

Does anyone know if the final report is complete and has been released? I am a big fan of Aquarius, and am interested in learning the cause of this tragic event if it can be made public. No luck on google search.