Boat Mate Dies While Trying To Help Divers

A Key Largo man who works as the mate on a dive vessel died Thursday as he tried to help four divers who were drifting away from the vessel.

The dive vessel, out of the Amoray Dive Resort in Key Largo, was offshore of Key Largo at 6:45 p.m. Divers on board had been in the water for 10 – 15 minutes when the current became too strong. The captain called the divers back to the vessel. Four of them were reportedly drifting away from the boat, so boat mate 59 year old Steven Kipp donned a mask, snorkel and fins and got into the water to bring them a line to tow them back to the boat.

He gave the line to the first two divers. He was swimming to the second two, who’d drifted considerably farther from the boat when he became unresponsive. He was brought onto the boat and CPR was performed. The U.S. Coast Guard responded and brought him to shore. He was transported by paramedics to Mariner’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

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