VENICE, Fla. (WSVN)– A scuba diver had a close call off Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Stephanie Holtey dives weekly and documents her underwater adventures on social media.
But during a dive off of Venice Saturday, she said a boat snagged her dive flag and dragged her around 60 yards from the bottom of the ocean to the surface.
“‘The regulator came out of my mouth, I wasn’t thinking so I was sucking in water,” said Holtey.
It’s required by state law for boaters to make a reasonable effort to stay at least 300 feet away from warning devices, like Holtey’s dive flag, in open water.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the incident.
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