A diving incident off the coast of Fort Pierce has resulted in the death of a diver. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation into the incident, which occurred when a Mayday call was made from a boat in the area.
According to Eric Breuer, a diving repair technician at Dive Odyssea in Fort Pierce, the area where the incident occurred is better suited for experienced divers due to challenging conditions such as low visibility and cooler temperatures. However, Breuer noted that the conditions on the day of the incident were favorable, with 50 feet of visibility on the bottom and a water temperature of 84 degrees on the top.
Search Efforts
The U.S. Coast Guard and St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Mayday call, which was made around 11:30 a.m. Multiple agencies, including Florida Fish and Wildlife, civilian divers, and the Coast Guard, participated in the search effort. The search included aerial support and covered an area approximately 6 to 7 miles north-northeast of the Fort Pierce Inlet, nearly due east of Avalon State Park.
The missing diver was found at the bottom of the ocean, about 55 feet below the surface, just after 4 p.m. by civilian divers who knew the missing diver. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office has not yet confirmed whether the diver was alone at the time of the incident.
Original reporting: WPBF West Palm Beach — read the source article.
