NAVARRE, Florida (21 Oct 2008) — Investigators are waiting on an autopsy report to determine why a Pensacola woman may have drowned Sunday. Andrea Coyle, 61, was near the Navarre Beach Park Fishing Pier with a group of five other people who decided the surf was too rough to dive Sunday afternoon. According to an offense report from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, Coyle put on her wet suit and went for a swim instead. Then the group decided diving conditions weren't so bad and they donned their gear, heading out into the waves along the pier. "When they got about a halfway down the distance of the pier, they turned back because the currents were too rough," said Sheriff's Office spokesman Marc Ward. Each diver had a partner, but somehow Coyle became separated from the group, the report said. The other divers found her below the surf. "She was not moving and there were no bubbles coming from the regulator," Ward said. When a deputy arrived at the beach about 3:40 p.m., EMS was present and Coyle was already out of the water. She was taken by helicopter to Gulf Breeze Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 4:19 p.m. | | Ward said Coyle's diving gear was collected and investigators will determine if there was some sort of malfunction. Ultimately, an autopsy will have to determine how Coyle died. "She could have had a heart attack, a drop in blood pressure could have caused her to lose consciousness," Ward said. "It could have been anything at this point." |
