Coast Guard responds to diver in distress near Port Everglades

MIAMI– Coast Guard crewmembers from Station Fort Lauderdale, Fla., responded to a diver in distress Wednesday afternoon at the entrance of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.

Coast Guard search-and-rescue coordinators at Sector Miami received the initial report at 2:30 p.m. from Fort Lauderdale police dispatch reporting a 43-year-old male diver was unconscious and unresponsive.

Upon receipt of the report, the Coast Guard immediately responded by diverting a Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale 33-foot response boat crew. The smallboat crew arrived on scene, brought the unconscious diver aboard and commenced CPR.

The diver was brought to the 15th Street boat ramp where local EMS members then transfered the patient to Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale who was later pronounced deceased.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are investigating the incident.