For the second time in four days, a man died in a diving incident in the Florida Keys.
On Wednesday morning, Jeffrey Archer, 72, was pronounced dead at Mariners Hospital after being brought to shore by U.S. Coast Guard crews who picked him up at a location off Islamorada in the Upper Keys known locally as “the drop.”
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Archer was with a commercial scuba boat operated by the Islamorada Dive Center when he surfaced from a dive about 95 feet deep. When he returned to the boat, he lost consciousness, Adam Linhardt, sheriff’s office spokesman, said.
The dive boat staff immediately began CPR. When the Coast Guard arrived, the agency’s crew continued CPR until he was brought to shore. Doctors at Mariners pronounced Archer dead at 10:51 a.m., according to the sheriff’s office.
The investigation into his death is ongoing, but Linhardt said “foul play is not expected to be a factor.” The county medical examiner will conduct an autopsy, Linhardt added.
The sheriff’s office on Wednesday also identified the man who died Sunday after a dive on Crocker Reef, also located off Islamorada. Michael Gaetz, 68, of England, lost consciousness after surfacing from a dive — this time in 20 feet of water.
He was also pronounced dead at Mariners Hospital. Autopsy results in that incident are also pending, Linhardt said.
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