HAULOVER BEACH, Florida — Another scuba diver died on Thursday, the first diver death during Florida's "wild and crazy" Florida lobster mini-season. Daniel Pochedley, 48, of Sarasota, was found dead about an hour after disappearing near Haulover Beach, officials said. A Miami-Dade Police diver found the body of the missing scuba diver off Haulover Inlet around 12:30 p.m., about two and a half hours after he first disappeared. After being dragged behind a police boat, the police diver eventually spotted the missing man in his black dive suit and dive gear. The officer dove down to the bottom and retrieved the man's lifeless body. The body of the diver was placed onto a Miami-Dade Police boat and covered with a yellow tarp for the trip back to Haulover Marina. Miami-Dade Police, along with the U.S. Coast Guard and other police agencies had been searching for Pochedley since 10:00 a.m., when he was last seen in the water. Chopper 4 was also asked by Miami-Dade Police to assist in the aerial search for the missing diver. At approximately the same time, Miami Fire Rescue was assisting another diver who had a medical emergency near Fisher Island. He was taken to Mercy Hospital for treatment in a decompression chamber. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 5 people died last year during the lobster mini-season. Two of those deaths took place within the first twelve hours. The Coast Guard says the deaths were most likely due to equipment malfunctions, which is why the Coast Guard encourages all divers to check their equipment before going out and always dive with a buddy. Florida's dangerous, diver-unfriendly waters On July 24, the U.S. Coast Guard airlifted David Baptist, 57, to Florida Hospital after he resurfaced with signs of potentially fatal decompression sickness.On July 23, a 57-year-old woman was rushed to hospital after she resurfaced from a dive to 18 meters with symptoms of potentially fatal decompression sickness.Also on July 23, a 38-year-old man was rushed to hospital after he started spitting up blood following a dive off Pompano Beach.On July 19, Lana Gandert, 58, of Edison, Ohio, died while snorkel diving with her husband and two sons at Sand Key Light, Florida.On July 17, popular elementary school teacher, David Sheppard, 60, of Cross City, died while diving off Steinhatchee, Florida, after he was hit by a boat.On July 16, Michael Manna, 46, apparently drowned five days after he married while snorkel diving at DuBois Park, Florida.On July 12, Craig Winnerman, 48, was rescued after his boat drifted away in strong winds while he was scuba diving alone near Dunedin Reef, Florida.On July 10, Richard Losz, 37, died off Hollywood, Florida, while scuba diving alone.On July 7, Daniel Goepel, 29, of Coral Springs died while snorkel diving off the Dolphin dive boat at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo.On July 5, two more divers who were diving off Hollywood, Florida, were hospitalized after they were hit by a speed boat.On July 4, searchers found the body of 31-year-old Darren Rordan who died while scuba diving off Manatee County, Florida.On June 8, the Coast Guard airlifted Bill Nelson, 55, to Shands Hospital for emergency medical treatment of potentially fatal decompression sickness (the bends) after a scuba diving accident off Tampa, Florida.On June 4, William Husic Jr, 61, a chemical engineer who resides in Brighton, died while snorkel diving at Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys.On May 30, Robert A. Jones, 38, of Zephyrhills, died while solo free diving in a cave at Blue Spring State Park, Florida.On May 10, Timothy Allen, 52, and Paula Allen, 48, were rescued off Hernando Beach, Florida, after drifting in the ocean for nearly 24 hours. The couple were swept away from their boat while scuba diving in strong currents.On May 5, NOAA research diver, Dewey Smith, 36, died while diving at the Aquarius underwater laboratory in the Florida Keys.On May 3, searchers recovered the body of Michael McQuillen, 29, of Lakeland, who disappeared the day before while scuba diving with friends west of John's Pass, Florida.On April 12, Mary Darnley, a 58-year-old retired nurse from Pennsylvania who had recently learned to dive, died while scuba diving with her husband off Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida.On March 20, a man in his 40s who was scuba diving off the Emerald Dive Charters boat, was rushed to hospital for treatment of potentially fatal decompression sickness (the bends).On February 18, Joseph Diver, 66, was rushed to hospital after a boat struck him while he was scuba diving at Pickles Reef in the Florida Keys.On January 11, two women in their 20s were rushed to Boca Raton Community Hospital after a boat hit them off Boca Raton, Florida.On January 10, Rob Murphy, 26, lost both legs after a hit and run boat struck him while he was scuba diving near Sandsprit Park, Florida. | | Another scuba diver died in Florida, America's most dangerous dive destination.
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