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Man dies after diving the Spiegel Grove wreck in Key Largo Friday

A Lake Charles, Florida, man was found unconscious soon after entering the water to scuba dive off the Florida Keys Friday morning, and he died at an area hospital about an hour later, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Roy Jasper, 67, was pronounced dead at Mariners Hospital in Tavernier at 12:41 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.

He and two other people had just entered the water from a private boat off Key Largo to dive the wreck of the Spiegel Grove around 11:30 a.m. when the other divers noticed he was drifting away, Adam Linhardt, sheriff’s office spokesman, said.

The divers swam him back to their vessel, where a nearby commercial boat captain helped them perform CPR, Linhardt said. They drove the boat to Garden Cove Drive in Key Largo where waiting medics took him to the hospital.

Linhardt said police do not suspect foul play. The Monroe County Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.