Florida Boater Accused of Attempted Murder After Allegedly Cutting Off Diver’s Air Supply Near Fisher Island
A dispute over a lobster diving location off Miami-Dade County escalated into an attempted felony murder case after police accused a 51 year old boater of deliberately shutting off another diver’s surface supplied breathing system while the diver was underwater.
Michael Joseph Simpson surrendered to authorities following the July 29 incident near Fisher Island and was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, according to a CBS Miami report citing police and arrest records. The confrontation occurred during Florida’s highly popular lobster mini-season, when thousands of divers and boaters take to South Florida waters in search of spiny lobster.
The allegations against Simpson are accusations, not findings of guilt. He is entitled to the presumption of innocence as the criminal case proceeds.
Dispute Allegedly Began Over a Dive Spot
According to the account reported by CBS Miami, the confrontation unfolded approximately half a mile off Fisher Island after Simpson’s vessel approached another boat that was already anchored at a diving location. Minors were reportedly aboard the anchored vessel, and at least one diver was already underwater. Police allege Simpson’s boat approached at a high rate of speed before anchoring approximately 10 feet from the other vessel. With a diver beneath the surface, the close proximity of another boat created an already tense and potentially dangerous situation.
A verbal confrontation subsequently erupted between people aboard the two vessels, according to the report. What allegedly happened next transformed an argument over access to a dive location into a major criminal investigation.
Police Say Simpson Swam Over and Shut Down Diver’s Air
Investigators accuse Simpson of entering the water, swimming to the other vessel’s Brownie’s hookah diving system and intentionally shutting it off while a diver was still underwater. Hookah diving systems differ from conventional scuba tanks because they can supply breathing air to a submerged diver through a hose connected to equipment at the surface. Interrupting that system while someone is underwater can therefore create an immediate emergency.
According to the police allegations reported by CBS Miami, Simpson knew a diver was beneath the surface when he interfered with the system. That allegation is central to the attempted felony murder charge. This was not, according to investigators, merely a case of one angry boater touching another person’s equipment. Police are alleging conduct that deliberately interfered with the breathing air supply of a human being underwater.
Occupants Confronted Simpson Before He Allegedly Fled
People aboard the other vessel reportedly began shouting at Simpson after realizing what had happened. Police say Simpson subsequently left the area before officers arrived. But the confrontation had reportedly been captured on video. Investigators were able to use video recorded during the incident to help identify Simpson, according to CBS Miami. Simpson later voluntarily surrendered to law enforcement and was taken into custody.
The case demonstrates the increasingly important role cellphone and boat mounted video can play in maritime investigations. Incidents on open water can present investigators with fewer independent witnesses and less conventional surveillance footage than crimes occurring on land. Video recorded by passengers or boaters can consequently become critical evidence when authorities attempt to reconstruct what happened.
Simpson Faces Attempted Felony Murder Charge
CBS Miami reported that Simpson faces an attempted felony murder charge stemming from the incident and was scheduled to appear in bond court following his surrender.
The precise legal theory prosecutors ultimately pursue will matter as the case moves through the Miami-Dade court system. An arrest represents the beginning of the criminal process, not proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and Simpson’s attorneys will have the opportunity to challenge the government’s version of events, witness accounts, video evidence and the intent prosecutors attribute to his actions. Among the major questions will be what Simpson knew about the diver’s location, precisely what he allegedly did to the breathing system, how long the air supply was interrupted and what evidence prosecutors possess concerning his intent.
Report: Simpson Connected to Miami-Dade Boating Safety Task Force
One particularly notable element of the story is Simpson’s reported connection to boating safety efforts in Miami-Dade County. CBS Miami reported that Simpson appeared to be a board member of the Miami-Dade Boater Safety and Bay Education Task Force. If confirmed, that affiliation would add an extraordinary dimension to the allegations because the criminal case itself emerged from conduct on the water that authorities characterize as dangerously reckless and potentially lethal.
However, Simpson’s current position and precise relationship with the task force should be independently confirmed through Miami-Dade County records before publication as an established fact. A preliminary web search did not return sufficient current official documentation for me to independently verify that affiliation.
Lobster Mini-Season Can Create Crowded and Dangerous Waters
The timing of the confrontation is also significant. Florida’s lobster mini-season traditionally produces an intense surge of boating and diving activity across South Florida, particularly around Miami-Dade, Broward, the Florida Keys and other areas with accessible lobster habitat.
Competition over productive dive locations can become intense, but basic maritime safety becomes even more important when divers are in the water. Dive flags and markers are not decorative accessories. They warn approaching boaters that people may be submerged nearby. Boat operators must remain alert to divers whose bodies may be invisible from the surface, while divers depend on surface crews and equipment to keep them safe.
An argument over who reached a lobster spot first is one thing. Deliberately interfering with equipment keeping somebody alive underwater, if that allegation is proven, is something altogether different.
Video Could Become Critical Evidence
The video reportedly captured by people aboard the other boat could become one of the most important pieces of evidence in the prosecution.
Investigators will likely attempt to establish the sequence of events before, during and after the alleged shutdown of the breathing system. The defense, meanwhile, could challenge whether the recording captures the entire encounter, whether Simpson understood that a diver was actively using the equipment and whether the evidence supports the level of criminal intent alleged by police.
Those distinctions are critical in a case involving an attempted murder accusation. A frightening or reckless act does not automatically satisfy every element of attempted murder. Prosecutors still have to establish the elements required under Florida law and prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
A Fight Over Lobster Allegedly Became a Fight for Air
Strip away the boats, lobster season and argument over a diving location, and the allegation at the center of this case is remarkably simple. A human being was underwater relying on equipment to breathe. Police accuse another person of intentionally shutting that equipment off. That is why what might have begun as an absurd confrontation between competing boaters has escalated into a potentially life-changing felony prosecution.
Simpson has surrendered and now faces the criminal justice system, where prosecutors will have to prove their allegations and the defense will have the opportunity to present its version of events. For South Florida’s enormous boating and diving community, however, the case also provides a particularly disturbing reminder of how quickly anger on the water can become dangerous. No lobster spot is worth someone’s life.
