Death of a good friend, my captain, Bill Newman

I was browsing my sent emails, cleaning up and came across this. Bringing tears to my eyes, I spend many consecutive weekends offshore with Bill. Man he knew the spots and placed you right on top of the wrecks. When you dropped in and hit the bottom, the objects were always right there. I miss Bill, his boat Seabeast. The memories will live my lifetime.

Diver’s death investigated; friend says gas mix is crucial

As investigators continued looking into the death of an experienced Jacksonville dive instructor and charter operator Saturday, a close friend on the boat when he died said his friend was using a sophisticated mix of gases that might be to blame.

An autopsy today of William David Newman, 40, will determine whether the mixture that allows divers to stay longer at deep depths played a role in his death.

Paul Ullmann, who was on the boat 48 miles offshore when Newman was found lying on the bottom 125 feet below the surface, said what was in his friend’s tanks was critical.

“If one of the mixes wasn’t what it was thought to be at the depths we were diving [it] could have caused some problems,” he said.

Ullmann said the tank fills are pre-mixed but the diver is responsible for checking the mix and dives with a monitor that calculates what depths and lengths of time in the water are safe.

He said divers also take a tank of oxygen that could have caused problems if it was mistakenly used.

Ullmann said visibility under the water was good as were general diving conditions Saturday.

“I can’t imagine what happened to him,” he said.

Newman was found lying on the bottom by fellow diver James Cahill, according to an investigative report by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. Cahill told investigators he found Newman without a regulator and blue in the face and lips.

Newman, who died Saturday, holds a 50-pound grouper he speared in January.

Cahill took Newman as far to the surface as he could before he had to stop and decompress. He sent Newman to the surface using an inflatable vest.

Ullmann checked Newman’s pulse when he pulled him out and knew he was dead.

As they headed to shore, Ullmann said he had some trouble contacting the Coast Guard then came upon a St. Augustine charter fishing boat with a stronger radio. He said the men were told to take Newman to a St. Johns County boat ramp at Vilano Beach.

Ullmann, who is a certified boat captain, said Newman was also a boat captain and dive instructor who had been in the Navy. The three men were aboard Newman’s 28-foot boat Seabeast that Newman uses for charter trips.

A Web site for the charter business said Newman was certified as a boat captain, dive master, cavern and mixed gas diver and ran the business with his wife.

Ullmann met Newman several years ago and said the two often went on dive trips together.

He called Newman a methodical diver with a calm manner.

“[He had] one of those calm demeanors,” he said. “The demeanor that everyone wishes they had.”

dana.treen@jacksonville.com (904) 359-4091

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