Diver's death ruled accidental drowning

David Voiles was submerged in 8 feet of water and dragging a bag full of golf balls when his breathing apparatus was yanked from his mouth, deputies said.

His death was ruled an accident.

A dive team from the Pasco Sheriff's Office discovered Voiles' body the morning of Jan. 3 in a pond off Eagle Falls Drive.

Voiles, 43, a U.S. Army veteran, worked for Sherman Hills Golf Club in Ridge Manor. He collected golf balls from the bottom of the ponds located throughout the property.

The owner of the golf course called the sheriff's office the night of Jan. 2 after he noticed Voiles' golf cart was parked along the shoreline for several hours, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

The diver said he first noticed a nylon bag "containing a large amount of golf balls" in an area 7 feet from the shoreline. He followed the nylon string from the bag and saw Voiles' breathing device entangled in it.

"The regulator appeared to (have been) pulled across the diver's back in such a fashion that (he) could not recover it," stated Detective John Ellis, who was briefed by the driver who discovered the body.

Moments later, Voiles was found lying on his stomach along the bottom of the pond with his diving tank, weight belt and face mask still in place, according to the report.

He was not wearing a back-up respirator, Ellis stated.

The sheriff's office in Hernando doesn't have a dive team and requested assistance from Pasco.

Deputies said Voiles had been a certified scuba diver for 24 years.

A toxicology report released Monday revealed there were no drugs in Voiles' system. The medical examiner ruled it an accidental drowning.

Less than four months prior to his death, Voiles saved a woman from drowning after her vehicle veered off the road in Hernando Beach and sunk into the channel.

Voiles, who was driving along the same road, witnessed the accident. He jumped into the water and pulled the woman to safety.

In November, he was awarded the Citizen Service Award by the sheriff's office.