Snorkeler Dies In Search Of Lobster In Keys; First Death Of Mini-Season
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BIG PINE KEY (CBSMiami) -- A 79-year-old man has died while looking for lobsters off the Florida Keys, the first reported death of the two-day mini-season, according to The Miami Herald.
William Biddle, of Temple Terrace, Florida, was snorkeling Wednesday at Bahia Honda State Park when he experienced some sort of difficulty in the water, officials said. He was pulled out onto a boat and others tried to assist him but he did not survive.
Biddle was pronounced deceased at Fishermen's Hospital in Marathon.
While he was in the water, Biddle was tethered to the boat via rope, a common practice during lobster season, officials said.
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission said they're awaiting the report from the medical examiner's office to determine his cause of death.
The lobster mini-season ends Thursday at midnight.
