Diver dies after breathing gear gets tangled in fishing line

SENECA, S.C. (AP) – Authorities say it appears a scuba diver who drowned in a South Carolina lake had part of her breathing apparatus tangled in a fishing line as she tried to rush to the surface.

Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis said 43-year-old Angelia Dover had enough air in her tank to make it to shore.

Addis says investigators don’t know why Dover appeared panicked to a fellow diver as they sat on rocks about 50 feet (15 meters) under Lake Keowee just before she tried to surface Sunday.

The coroner said in a news release Dover’s breathing regulator likely became tangled in the fishing line as she tried to surface.

Addis says a diver found Dover face up on the lake bottom about 20 minutes after the first 911 call.

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