A snorkeling excursion off Big Pine Key turned tragic on Tuesday when a 67-year-old Louisiana man lost consciousness and later died at Fishermen’s Community Hospital in Marathon, authorities said.
Richard Sudduth, of Lafayette, Louisiana, was pronounced dead at approximately 1:38 p.m. on Tuesday, reported the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in a statement.
He was the third person to have died while snorkeling in the Keys.
The latest incident occurred in the waters near Big Pine Key, where Sudduth was snorkeling in approximately 10 feet of water on a reef when he was found unconscious in the water, authorities said.
Emergency responders transported Sudduth from the water to Bahia Honda State Park before he was rushed to Fishermen’s Hospital in Marathon.
The Sheriff's Office reported that "foul play is not expected to be a factor in the incident."
The cause of death is pending autopsy results.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office last week reported two snorkeling-related deaths.
Last Wednesday, Clarence Shawver, 82, of Palm City, Fla., died after being found unresponsive in gulf waters approximately five miles off Mile Marker 60. He was snorkeling when he was taken ashore at 10:45 a.m., and then to Fishermen’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Foul play is not believed to be a factor in the incident. Autopsy results are pending.
Last Thursday, Raymond Bruce Sasser, 61, of Loxahatchee, Fla., died ater snorkeling in ocean waters off Mile Marker 74. He lost consciousness at about 8:30 a.m., taken ashore and then transported to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier, where he was pronounced dead. Foul play is not believed to be a factor in the incident. Autopsy results are pending.
