Islamorada Diver, 71, Dies at Eagle Wreck Off Lower Matecumbe Key

Lonnie Lee Higgins, 71, of Columbia, Missouri, was found unresponsive on the seafloor of the Eagle shipwreck off Islamorada on March 13, discovered roughly 110 feet down by a diving instructor from a nearby charter boat before a chain of emergency responders ultimately failed to save him. He was pronounced dead at Mariners Hospital in Tavernier.

Higgins had started his dive at approximately 9 a.m. at the Eagle wreck, located near Lower Matecumbe Key and about a 10 to 15 minute boat ride from Islamorada marinas. A diving instructor working for Conch Republic Divers of Tavernier, operating from a separate vessel, found Higgins unresponsive on the seabed at about 33 meters depth. The instructor brought Higgins to the surface and onto the vessel from which Higgins had originally dived, then began CPR. Higgins was not a customer of Conch Republic Divers; the company corrected initial information from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office that suggested otherwise.

Crews from Coast Guard Station Islamorada responded to an emergency call and transported Higgins to shore, where paramedics were waiting. Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric Rodriguez, a Coast Guard spokesman, confirmed the station's response. Paramedics then took Higgins to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier, where he died.

Monroe County Sheriff's Office spokesman Adam Linhardt said detectives do not suspect foul play. A post-mortem medical examination is pending to determine the cause of death. No information has been released about whether Higgins had been diving alone or the specific circumstances that led to him being found unresponsive.

Ashley Hudson, owner of Conch Republic Divers, praised the instructor's response. "I could not be prouder of my crew-member and even though we practise these scenarios all the time and hope we never use, in the event we are called to action, we are ready," Hudson said. "Prayers to the family of the diver and lots of love to the other operation and their crew."

The Eagle is considered one of the premier wreck-dive destinations in the Upper Florida Keys and is classified as an advanced dive. The 287-foot coastal cargo vessel was built in the Netherlands in 1962 and deliberately sunk as an artificial reef near Lower Matecumbe Key in 1985 after a fire broke out onboard. A 1998 hurricane split the wreck into two sections, which now rest on the seafloor and draw charter dive boats regularly throughout the year.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office investigation remains open pending autopsy results.