Venice Beach diver dragged 60 yards by boat while searching for shark teeth: 'My life flashed before my eyes’

Scuba diver dragged by boat

Woman survives scary diving incident when boat drags her.  Fox 13's Aaron Mesmer reports.

VENICE, Fla. - A frightening encounter in the Gulf, off Venice Beach was caught on camera, showing the moment a seasoned scuba diver says she was accidentally dragged through the water by a passing boat.

The diver, Stephanie Holtey, says the incident happened late last month while she was about 23 feet underwater searching for shark teeth.

The backstory:

Holtey, who runs a diving business called Abyss Explorers, says she frequently dives in the waters off Venice Beach, often referred to as the "shark tooth capital of the world."

During the dive, she says a passing boater’s propeller became entangled with her dive flag, a floating marker used to signal that divers are below the surface.

Courtesy: Abyss Explorers

Holtey says she was suddenly pulled upward and dragged about 60 yards.

"My life flashed before my eyes," she said. "I had never been involved in an incident like this before."

She says as she was pulled through the water, she began choking and struggling to breathe.

"Because I started screaming, the regulator came out of my mouth. And because it was very windy that day, the waves were hitting me in the mouth. So I was like choking and coughing," Holtey said.

Courtesy: Abyss Explorers

Video recorded by her diving partner captured the chaotic moments that followed, including a confrontation between the divers and the boaters over who was at fault.

"There was no, ‘I’m sorry.’ There was no, ‘can I help you? What can I do to help you?’ No, there was nothing," she said.

Dig deeper:

Holtey says the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is now investigating the incident.

Under Florida law, boaters are required to operate at idle speed within 300 feet of a dive flag in open water, or within 100 feet in rivers, inlets, or navigation channels.

Courtesy: Abyss Explorers

Divers are also required to remain within those same distances of their flags.

Why you should care:

The incident highlights the dangers divers face when boaters fail to recognize or respect dive flags in the water.

Holtey says she is fortunate the situation was not more severe.

 Courtesy: Abyss Explorers

"If he was going fast, he could have dragged me very far. Or if we were deeper in the water, I could have had the bends, there could have been lung issues, ear issues with equilibrium. It could have been much worse," she said.

What's next:

Officials with Florida Fish and Wildlife have not yet released details about the investigation.

Holtey is now urging boaters to take safety courses and remain aware of dive flags before heading out on the water.