SNORKELER DIES OFF ALLIGATOR REEF

AMassachusetts man snorkeling not far from Alligator Reef off Islamorada died after signaling for help on the afternoon of March 5.

According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the 61-year-old man, later identified as Patrick Alan Martinec, was snorkeling off the Sundance Watersports boat around 2:20 p.m. when he needed help.

He was brought back to the vessel where the Sundance Watersports crew performed CPR and transported him to the shore. Martinec was taken to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier where he was pronounced dead.

Foul play is not expected to be a factor in the investigation. Autopsy results are pending.

The incident is the second such death witnessed in the Upper Keys this year. On Feb. 16, a 76-year-old Missouri man snorkeling off Key Largo’s Molasses Reef with Sea Dwellers Dive Center died after he was found unresponsive in the water. Foul play wasn’t a factor in the incident.

— Keys Weekly staff report