Body of missing diver found on Florida coast near Fort Pierce Inlet, deputies report
ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. - This story has been updated after authorities identified the victim and provided further details about what led the man to be in the water.
The body of a missing diver was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean on Friday afternoon after a group of friends – operating as civilian boaters – responded to a maritime distress call.
The diver's body was discovered approximately seven miles north-northeast of the Fort Pierce Inlet, resting on the ocean floor at a depth of 55 feet, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office.
A diver reported missing was found by a group of civilian divers near Avalon State Park on June 26, 2026. (Source: St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office).
The emergency response began around 11:30 a.m. on Friday, June 26, when U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce intercepted an urgent Mayday broadcast.
Following the distress call, the Coast Guard notified the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), which deployed four vessels and aerial support to search the waters near Avalon Park, the sheriff's office said. The sheriff's office Marine Unit also assisted with the search, deputies said.
Around 1 p.m., a group of civilian boaters – who were close friends of the missing diver, the sheriff's office said – joined the coordinated rescue grid to assist state and federal vessels.
Who was the diver?
On June 29, the sheriff's office identified the diver as Greer Boyd, 63, from Fort Pierce. Deputies said Boyd was fishing with his friends earlier in the day when the vessel's motor detached and Boyd entered the water alone with diving equipment to search for the missing motor.
After arriving at the surface location where Boyd was last seen, his friends only found his buoyancy compensator (BC) and air tank in the water, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies: Missing diver found 55 feet underwater
Just after 4 p.m., a civilian diver entered the water nearly due east of Avalon State Park. Boyd was found at the bottom of the ocean in approximately 55 feet of water, the sheriff's office said.
He was recovered from the water and pronounced dead at the scene, deputies reported.
What's next:
The diver's cause of death is being investigated by the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office.