Two men die in Florida Keys on first day of lobster miniseason, officials say

Two men died while out on the waters off the Florida Keys on Wednesday, the first day of this year’s lobster miniseason.

It is the second year in a row that two people died on the opening day of lobster miniseason.

A 51-year-old man from Tampa was snorkeling near Bluefish Channel north of Key West when he “became unresponsive” in the water about 12:30 p.m., the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon.

Boaters attempted CPR until the U.S. Coast Guard arrived and continued their life-saving efforts. The man was pronounced dead at the Lower Keys Medical Center, the Sheriff’s Office said.

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His name had not yet been released Wednesday afternoon, pending notification of his relatives.

About the same time, Gregg Leon Dietz, a 64-year-old man from Garland, Texas, collapsed while standing in a rental boat north of Mile Marker 3 on the Gulfside, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials took Dietz to the Coast Guard station in Key West, and he was then taken to Lower Keys Medical Center. There he was pronounced dead, deputies said.

Officials said they do not suspect foul play in either death.

In Miami-Dade County, a diver was cut on the leg by a propeller in Biscayne Bay, reported WSVN-Ch. 7.

During the opening day of the 2021 miniseason, one man died after he dove into the water at Sawyer Key early in the morning and passed out, and a 39-year-old man died after going into cardiac arrest while in the waters off Pompano Beach later that morning.

A third person suffered a serious leg injury from a boat propeller in the water off the Lower Keys.

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The miniseason kicked off early Wednesday morning and will end late Thursday night.