Body of missing Hernando County diver found

WEEKI WACHEE (FOX 13 - The body of a missing diver has been recovered, according to Hernando County first responders.

The 20-year-old Said Marjane, a free diver, went missing Wednesday in Eagles Nest Vace. It was reported sometime before 7 p.m.

Deputies say him and five friends arrived at Eagle's Nest around 3 p.m. For the next several hours they completed up to 20 free dives, where divers commonly wear wetsuits, masks, fins and weight belts. During the last dive, Marjane told his friends he wanted to attempt a "max breath dive," according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

He descended with another diver for safety, investigators said. His friend said he reached 80 feet deep before returning the surface. When Marjane didn't resurface, the five friends dived in to look for him, deputies say.

They were unable to locate him after a few minutes and called 911. A civilian dive team responded and a few hours later found Marjane's body at a depth of 150 feet. 

Hernando County deputies said Thursday morning the diver’s body was transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Leesburg. 

Divers have gone missing in the Eagles Nest area before.

A 51-year-old diver from Dover, Florida died in the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area in January. 

In 2016, a diver had to call for rescue crews when two of his dive partners never returned to the surface. Their bodies were located the next day. 

Since the early 1980s, there have been at least eight deaths at Eagles Nest.