drowning

Published on: September 25, 2025

Community Honors Boy, 17, Who Died in Florida Keys Diving Accident. What to Know.

Community members and their local fire department gathered over the weekend to honor a 17-year-old, who had dreamed of becoming a firefighter, after his diving death in the Florida Keys.

Cameron Ruwe died while on a family trip off Grassy Key on Saturday, Sept. 13, just a week shy of his birthday, according to reporting from NBC 6 South Florida. He had been using a hookah rig, a surface-supplied air system, while he went underwater. He was given CPR before emergency responders took him to Fishermen’s Hospital in Marathon, Florida, where he was pronounced dead.

His stepmother, Katherine Zaensi, said Cameron was rarely seen without a smile and that he “never, ever, ever had a bad day.”

Published on: September 25, 2025

Broward County Teen Dies in Florida Keys Diving Accident. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A 17-year-old teenager died over the weekend while diving using a hookah rig in the Florida Keys, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

The boy, later identified as Cameron Isaiah Ruwe, was diving with several others on Saturday using a hookah rig — a type of diving that uses a surface-based compressor to deliver air through a hose. The group and their vessel were near Grassy Key around 1:30 p.m. when Cameron attempted to swim back to his boat and “went underwater,” according to local media.

The people who were with him attempted to perform CPR before emergency responders arrived. He was taken to Fisherman’s Community Hospital in Marathon where he was pronounced dead.

Published on: August 5, 2025

Two men Died, Child Injured in Florida Keys During Lobster Mini-Season. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least two men have died and a child was injured in three separate incidents in the Florida Keys during the area’s lobster mini-season.

On Wednesday, July 30, Clarence Shawyer, 82, of Palm City, was found unresponsive in Gulf waters, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said in an online statement. He was taken to Fisherman’s Hospital in Marathon and later died.

In Islamorada at around 8:30 a.m. the next day, 61-year-old Raymond Bruce Sasser, of Loxahatchee, lost consciousness while snorkeling. Emergency responders took him to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier, where he later died.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Millions of Aboveground Pools Recalled in Florida Following Toddler Deaths. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

About 5 million aboveground pools have been recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission following the deaths of at least nine toddlers since 2002.

The CPSC officially recalled the pools due to a compression strap surrounding the exterior of the pool legs that could create a “foothold, allowing a child access to the pool, posing a drowning risk.”

From 2007 through 2022, the children — aged 22 months to 3 years old — have drowned in states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Texas, Missouri, California and Florida, where childhood drowning rates have soared in recent years. In data from the Florida Department of Health, it was reported that enough children drown in the state to fill several preschool classrooms.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Man Dies After Snorkeling in the Florida Keys. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

An 81-year-old died Monday while with a commercial diving crew in the Florida Keys, according to local media.

Stephen Edward Plopper, of Carmel, Indiana, was swimming with a commercial dive boating around Sand Key Lighthouse off of Key West when members of the crew with the boat noticed him unresponsive in the water.

They immediately began CPR, according to reporting with The Miami Herald. Members of the Coast Guard who responded to the scene also performed life-saving measures and transported Plopper to the Lower Keys Medical Center where he died.

Published on: June 16, 2025

Child Hospitalized after Near-Drowning Incident in Fort Lauderdale Pool. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A child was hospitalized after being resuscitated Sunday from a near-drowning incident at a Fort Lauderdale pool, according to media.

First responders were called out to 6001 NW 6^th Way, an Extended Stay America, for a call about a drowning. Paramedics performed CPR on the minor and the child was said to be alert and breathing when he was transferred to the Broward Health Medical Center.

Additional information, including how this happened and how old the child is, were not immediately available Monday.

Published on: April 2, 2025

Michigan Snorkeler Dies at Florida Keys Hospital Monday. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A 73-year-old snorkeler has died after he was found passed out off Key Largo this week, according to local media.

The man, Dwaine David Anderson, of Crystal Falls, Michigan, was swimming on the Grecian Rocks reef off Key Largo Monday. Anderson was out with a commercial dive operation when he was found passed out, officials with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office told the Miami Herald.

The dive boat crew performed CPR as they raced back to shore. Anderson was transported to the Mariners Hospital in Tavernier where he was pronounced dead.

Published on: December 19, 2024

Tallahassee Woman Dies in Florida Keys While Scuba Diving, officials say.

By Leesfield & Partners

A woman died Tuesday morning while scuba diving with a commercial scuba vessel in the Florida Keys, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

The 56-year-old woman, identified at Andreas Shultz of Tallahassee, was diving at Molasses Reef off Key Lago. Just before 10 a.m., she was found unconscious in the water and was rushed to shore.

Shultz died enroute to shore while others on the boat performed CPR, according to local reporting.

Published on: November 19, 2024

Police: Human Head on Key Biscayne Belongs to Teen Caught in Rip Current

By Leesfield & Partners

Authorities confirmed over the weekend that the human head that washed ashore on Key Biscayne belonged to a teen who went missing off Miami Beach a week before after being caught in a rip current.

Victor Enrique Castaneda Jr., 19, was swimming with his sister off South Pointe Beach on Nov. 9 around 6 p.m. when the two were caught up in a rip current. They yelled for help and passersby were able to rescue Castaneda’s sister, but he seemed to vanish in the water, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. His older sister, Jessica Castaneda, told reporters that her brother pushed their younger sister toward shore in an effort to save her as the pair struggled against the currents.

On Nov. 12, a human head washed up on the beach in front of Oceansound Key Colony II condominium at 251 Crandon Blvd on Key Biscayne. The remains were found by a beach maintenance worker before 8:40 a.m.

Published on: October 15, 2024

Nephew of Famous Surfer Injured in Drowning Incident in Hawaii. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

The nephew of famed surfer, Bethany Hamilton, was injured over the weekend in a Hawaii drowning incident. Now, the family is taking to social media to ask for help.

The incident took place on Oct. 11. The child was medevacked to a different hospital and “has fight in him,” his aunt wrote on social media.

“We are wrecked,” Hamilton said in the post shared to her Instagram account with over 2.4 million followers. “But I know how proper medical support can make or break someone’s chance of survival and in this case we’re asking for help from anyone who has information [on] what we can do to give my nephew the best chance.”