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Two snorkelers dead and one child injured during lobster mini season in the Keys

WLRN Public Media | By Helen Acevedo
Published August 4, 2025 at 3:41 PM EDT
FILE - A pile of spiny lobsters are shown as Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers check to make sure that they are at least the minimum size in July, 2019, in Biscayne Bay, off of Miami Beach, Fla.
Wilfredo Lee
/
AP
FILE - A pile of spiny lobsters are shown as Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers check to make sure that they are at least the minimum size in July, 2019, in Biscayne Bay, off of Miami Beach, Fla.

Two snorkelers died and one child was injured during the 2025 lobster mini season in the Keys.

Clarence Shawyer, 82, of Palm City, died Wednesday after being found unresponsive five miles off Mile Marker 60. He was taken to Fishermen’s Hospital in Marathon, where he was pronounced dead.

Raymond Bruce Sasser, 6, from Loxahatchee, lost consciousness near Mile Marker 74 Thursday. He was taken to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier where he was pronounced dead.

Autopsy results are pending for both deaths.

A juvenile suffered a leg injury from a boat propeller about five miles from Mile Marker 48 Thursday. He was airlifted to Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami for treatment.

Lobster mini season was from July 30-31.

READ MORE: In Keys visit, DeSantis adds a day to lobster mini season and $5 million for artificial reefs

This is a News In Brief report. Visit WLRN News for in-depth reporting from South Florida and Florida news.
South Florida
Helen Acevedo
Helen Acevedo, is WLRN's anchor for All Things Considered.
See stories by Helen Acevedo
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