Joseph Michael Kelly, of Vero Beach and a student at the University of Central Florida, died over the weekend in an underwater cave diving accident, according to published reports.Kelly, 21, was free diving with two friends in an underwater cave when he was reported missing about 9:30 p.m., according to CitrusDaily.com. The news Web site reported the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office dive team found the body in 8 feet of water at about 11:45 p.m. Saturday night.
The group was at a campground near the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Refuge, nearly 60 miles north of St. Petersburg. There are a series of caves in the area connected by an underground springs.
Kelly’s family was notified and his body taken to medical examiner’s office in Leesburg for an autopsy. Free diving is a diving technique in which the person holds his breath for an extended period and does not use any sort of underwater breathing apparatus.
