KEY WEST, Florida (15 Dec 2006) -- A dive professional from Fort Walton Beach died after a Tuesday dive in the Marquesas. Joseph Webb, 63, apparently became the 15th person to die in Florida Keys waters this year while involved in scuba diving or snorkeling. Webb owned a dive-charter business in the Panhandle and was considered an experienced diver, according to a Monroe County Sheriff's Office report. Webb was among a group of friends who had a private charter to the Marquesas, about 20 miles west of Key West. "They were on their first dive of the day and had surfaced after a 36-minute dive in about 60 to 70 feet of water," described sheriff's information officer Becky Herrin. "Webb was hanging on the boat, getting ready to board, when he suddenly let go and slipped under the water. "When his friends pulled him out, he was not breathing." Rescuers including the Coast Guard performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation for hours during the long return to Key West. However, Webb was pronounced dead after arrival at a Key West dock. | | No cause of death was available at press time. It was the first reported dive death since David A. Carney, 44, of North Carolina died on a mid-October scuba dive in Dry Tortugas. SOURCE - The Keynoter |
