Missing diver found dead off Martin County
MARTIN COUNTY — A 20-year-old man from Utah died after a Friday freediving and spearfishing trip in the ocean off Martin County, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Maxwell Roberts and four others were in a boat about 2 ½ miles off the St. Lucie Inlet when the incident occurred, Martin County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy John Budensiek said.
He said just before 11 a.m. the sheriff’s marine unit was notified of the missing diver, identified as Roberts, and that a “massive search” was launched.
Budensiek said the four said their friend “had free dove into the water with a spear gun, fins and a mask and had not resurfaced in a timely manner.”
“They had all themselves jumped in the water, tried to find their friend and were unable to locate their friend,” Budensiek said. “So that precipitated the phone call to the Martin County Sheriff's Office.”
A large contingent of sheriff’s and Martin County Fire Rescue officials and vehicles remained Friday afternoon at Sandsprit Park where the center console boat the five men had been out on was docked.
Budensiek, speaking at Sandsprit, said Roberts is from Utah but spends summers in Vero Beach.
He said a dive team with Martin County Fire Rescue found him in about 55 feet of water.
“Our dive team described to us that the deceased was at the bottom, looked like he'd been spearfishing, the spear gun that he had been using was deployed … and he just had not made it back up to the surface,” Budensiek said.
Men believed to have been on the boat or connected to the group declined comment.
Budensiek said the five were good friends and all appeared to be in good shape. They were free diving, as opposed to using scuba tanks.
“They had been out since the earlier hours of the morning and it's my understanding that collectively they had about 20 dives between them today,” he said.
He said it’s not clear why Roberts didn’t make it back to the surface.
“One thing that we are looking at is the fact that that spear gun was shot,” he said. “Our investigators here are thinking maybe he just got caught up in the moment of trying to track down his fish that he had shot, but we'll never know the answer to that question, unfortunately.”
The incident appears to be an accident, but an autopsy will be done, he said.
“This is a 20-year-old, young, fit male,” he said. “It was not his time to die.”
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Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on Twitter @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Man in his 20s was freediving offshore on Treasure Coast
