FLORIDA KEYS, Florida (6 Feb 2006) -- A Missouri man died while scuba diving with a friend on a Florida Keys shipwreck, authorities said Monday. David Hargis, 48, of Kansas City, appeared to be in some distress during a dive Saturday at the Spiegel Grove artificial reef and signaled that he needed to surface, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said. Fellow divers helped Hargis remove his gear, but he lost consciousness as he climbed on board the chartered diving boat, the sheriff's office said. Paramedics and a sheriff's deputy met the boat at Key Largo Harbor Marina, but Hargis was declared dead at the dock. Hargis' dive gear was taken for examination. An autopsy will be scheduled. According to Hargis' friend, Hargis was a frequent diver and they'd been diving many times together before, the sheriff's office said. The former USS Spiegel Grove is the largest intentionally sunk ship in the world. It has served as an artificial reef in 130 feet of water off Key Largo since its sinking in 2002. | | Spiegel Grove The 510-foot long ship, designed to carry cargo and craft for amphibious landings, was retired by the Navy in 1989. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORKSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
