Feb 26, 2008 12:08 am US/Eastern
Foreign Diver Dead After Shark Attack
FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ―
A diver bitten by a shark on Sunday has died from his injuries.
The Coast Guard dispatched a HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Miami after receiving a mayday call from a crewmember aboard the Shearwater, a commercial diving boat out of Riviera Beach, at about 10 a.m.
The chopper located the dive boat about 50 miles east of Ft. Lauderdale and hoisted 50-year old Markus Groh onboard. It then airlifted him to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Groh, a lawyer who was visiting South Florida from Vienna, died late Sunday evening.
The boat's crew said Groh was diving early in the morning on an expedition where divers shoot photos and witness feedings when he was bitten by a bullshark.
"Bullsharks are the most aggressive sharks you can find in the water," said Bob Dimond of the Marine Safety Group.
Shark feeding excursions in the Bahamas continues to be popular despite the risks and continuous warnings.
"Demand has not gone down.It's a fascination being adventurous with sharks," said diving instructor Gary Thomas.
The Shearwater is operated by Jim Abnernethy's Scuba Adventures. He had being asked by Bahamian authorities to stop the shark expeditions without cages.
However, he continued to have them.
At the time of the attack, the vessel was on a week long "Great Hammerhead and Tiger Shark Expedition in the Bahamas."
The diver's death is now a criminal investigation.
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