A Florida man died on June 26 after disappearing beneath the surface while attempting to salvage a trolling motor that had fallen from his fishing boat into the Atlantic Ocean off the Fort Pierce Inlet, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.
Greer Boyd, 63, of Fort Pierce, had been fishing with a group of friends when the boat’s trolling motor detached and went overboard. The group returned to the area with diving equipment to attempt a recovery. Boyd entered the water alone. He never resurfaced.
His buoyancy compensator and air tank were found approximately 40 yards from the boat — the only trace of him before the search began in earnest.
At approximately 11:30 a.m., the U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce received a Mayday call over VHF Channel 16 reporting a missing diver. The Coast Guard immediately notified the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which deployed four vessels and aerial support to search the waters near Avalon State Park, roughly six to seven miles north-northeast of the Fort Pierce Inlet. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit, which had independently monitored the distress call, was already en route.
Around 1 p.m., a group of civilian boaters — friends of Boyd who had been notified of the emergency — departed the inlet to join the coordinated search grid alongside state and federal vessels.
It was that group of civilian divers who ultimately located Boyd at 4:10 p.m., resting on the ocean floor at a depth of 55 feet. Martin County Fire Rescue Lieutenant Daniel DeGrazia, who was off-duty at the time and volunteered his assistance, recovered the body. Boyd was pronounced dead at the scene.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division is investigating the cause of death. An autopsy was scheduled for June 29.
Authorities have not released a timeline of when Boyd first entered the water or how long he had been submerged before being reported missing. No information has been provided regarding his dive certification or experience level.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of one of recreational diving’s most fundamental safety rules: never dive alone. Entering open water without a buddy — particularly in conditions where no surface support is standing by — leaves no one positioned to respond if a diver becomes incapacitated, entangled, or runs into equipment trouble. Boyd’s BC and tank found at distance from the boat suggest he may have separated from his gear at or near the surface, though the precise sequence of events remains under investigation.
UPDATE — June 30, 2026: The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that Greer Boyd died by drowning. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death remains ongoing.
Diventures Magazine will update this story as additional details emerge from the autopsy and the ongoing investigation.
