MARATHON, Florida (13 Mar 2007) -- A man died while diving off Marathon, the fifth person to die scuba diving in Florida this year. Bradley Lewis, 55, died while diving with his son off Reef Hopper, a dive boat owned and operated by PADI 5-Star Captain Hook's Marina and Dive Center. According to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, something went wrong just a few minutes after Lewis, his son Jeremy and a third diver disappeared beneath the surface on a dive at Samantha's Reef. The captain of the Reef Hopper told police that at about 1:15pm, he saw Jeremy resurface near the dive boat followed by his father who was about 30 meters away from the vessel and appeared to be in trouble. The captain ordered the son to climb aboard Reef Hopper and yelled to the father instructing him to drop his weight belt, inflate his BC (buoyancy compensator vest) and put his regulator in his mouth. Within seconds the captain started up the dive boat and turned aft to go assist the struggling diver, but by the time he reached the area, Lewis had disappeared beneath the surface. The captain then called another dive boat for help, anchored the Reef Hopper, donned scuba gear and descended to search for the missing diver. Near the bottom, he found the victim unconscious with his weight belt stuck around his ankle, his regulator out of his mouth and his BC deflated. After bringing the victim to the surface, he started rescue breathing and pulled the unconscious diver aboard Reef Hopper with the help of the other dive boat crew who responded to the captain's call for help. | | Bradley Lewis, 55, died while diving from the Reef Hopper dive boat owned and operated by PADI 5-Star Captain Hook's Marina & Dive Center. Aboard the dive boat, CPR was initiated and continued after the Coast Guard arrived and took the victim to shore. After reaching shore, Lewis was rushed to Fisherman's Hospital where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the cause of death. In January, Kendra Conrad Motter, 40, of Canton, Ohio died after a scuba diving accident while diving with Horizon Divers. Three other scuba divers including Harry Milliser, 48, Bobby Rothel, 19, and Ronald Wayne Simmons, 53, died cave diving in Florida in this year. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORKSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba ForumCDNN Related NewsFLORIDA - First-time scuba diver dies after Horizon Divers accident |
