A 51-year-old South Florida man is in custody after investigators accused him of deliberately shutting off a diver’s air supply during a confrontation over a lobster diving spot near Fisher Island in Biscayne Bay, at the southern tip of Miami Beach.
Michael Joseph Simpson surrendered on the evening of 4 August and was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a charge of attempted felony murder, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
According to the arrest report, the confrontation occurred on 29 July, the first day of Florida’s two day recreational spiny lobster sport season, an annual event that draws large numbers of divers into South Florida waters.
A boat carrying several people, including minors, was anchored less than a kilometer from Fisher Island while at least one person was in the water, diving on a surface supplied breathing system, commonly known as a hookah rig. That diver is believed to have been at a depth of about nine meters at the time.
Investigators allege that Simpson approached at high speed in another vessel flying dive flags and anchored only about three meters away, before an argument broke out over the diving location.
According to the report, Simpson then entered the water, swam to the personal flotation device supplying air to the submerged diver, and intentionally switched off the air supply.
People aboard the anchored boat began shouting that a diver was underwater, prompting someone to restore the air supply and bring the diver back to the surface. Authorities said the diver was not injured.
Investigators allege that Simpson returned to his own boat and left the scene before law enforcement arrived. Deputies said they were able to identify him through witness accounts and video footage of the confrontation that was later posted online.
The case remains under investigation, and no additional charges or court dates had been confirmed at the time of writing. Diventures will update this article as official information becomes available.
Editorial note: This is a developing story. In line with Diventures’ editorial standards, no causation or intent beyond what has been officially alleged is asserted here, and this article will be updated rather than replaced as new details emerge.
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