ST. LUCIE COUNTY — A Fort Pierce man died Friday after disappearing while diving to recover a trolling motor that had fallen overboard in the Atlantic Ocean off the St. Lucie County coast, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office.
The incident began at about 11:30 a.m. June 26, when the U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce received a Mayday call over VHF Channel 16 reporting a missing diver in waters near the Fort Pierce Inlet.
The Coast Guard notified the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which deployed four vessels to assist in the search and rescue operation. The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit also responded after independently monitoring the distress call.
According to investigators, civilian boaters who were friends of the missing diver were notified by people aboard the vessel involved in the incident and left the Fort Pierce Inlet at about 1 p.m. to help search.
The response also included aircraft from the Coast Guard and FWC. Authorities located the vessel about 6 to 7 miles north-northeast of the Fort Pierce Inlet, east of Avalon State Park.
Investigators identified the diver as Greer Boyd, 63, of Fort Pierce.
According to the sheriff's office, Boyd and friends had been fishing earlier in the day when the vessel's trolling motor became detached and fell into the water. After marking the location, the group returned to shore to retrieve diving equipment before heading back to recover the motor.
Boyd entered the water alone to search for the equipment and resurfaced about 40 yards from the vessel, investigators said. When those aboard the boat reached the location where he was last seen, they found only his buoyancy compensator and air tank floating in the water.
At about 4:10 p.m., a civilian diver entered the water and found Boyd on the ocean floor at a depth of about 55 feet. He was recovered and later pronounced dead.
Boyd was transported to Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce, where the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division took over the investigation.
An autopsy was scheduled for Saturday, according to the sheriff's office.
In a statement, the sheriff's office extended its condolences to Boyd's family and friends and thanked the civilian diver and boaters who assisted in the recovery efforts.