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A 60-year-old diver from Tennessee died after surfacing from a recreational dive in the Gulf of Mexico off Venice, Florida, on 17 June.
Guy Charles Kerby, a Master Diver from Goodlettsville, Tennessee, was on a six-diver charter trip when he surfaced alone after the third dive of the day.
According to a Venice Police Department report posted on 22 June, he was around 150 metres (500ft) behind the vessel, holding an inflatable surface marker buoy and waving his arms.
The boat’s captain, John Kreatsoulas, told Venice Police that the charter left port at 7.30 that morning, and the third dive began at around 12.50 pm.
Kreatsoulas told police he initially believed Kerby was signalling for pickup because of the current and deteriorating sea conditions, reported as a one-metre (3ft) surface swell, and underwater visibility of just 2.5 metres (8ft) at the time of the incident.
Kreatsoulas signalled the divers that were still underwater to surface, and picked them up before directing his vessel towards Kerby.
By the time the dive boat reached him, Kerby was face down and had become unresponsive. He was brought aboard, where passengers began CPR and called emergency services.
The boat returned to the Crow’s Nest Marina in Venice, where Venice Fire Rescue personnel took over treatment.
Kerby reportedly still had a pulse when he was transported to hospital, but medics were unable to save him despite resuscitation efforts.
Venice, off Florida’s Gulf Coast in Sarasota County, is a popular destination for recreational scuba diving. The area’s shallow waters and sandy-bottom waters are well known for fossil hunting, particularly shark teeth, and are typically accessed by small charter boats or ‘six-pack’ vessels carrying up to six paying customers plus crew.
Early reports suggested Kerby had suffered a medical episode, however, no official cause of death has so far been released. The Venice Police Department says its investigation is ongoing.
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