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PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Investigators were working Friday to determine what killed a Utah man who died while diving off the Palm Beach coast.
Hyo H. Copinga, 59, of Salt Lake City, was part of a group of 10 people, including his two daughters, who took the commercial dive boat Deep Obsession to Flower Patches reef on Thursday, authorities said.
The group went down for a 45-minute dive about a mile off the coast in 60 feet of water, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Copinga never resurfaced.
Divers from another boat found Copinga under water several hours later at about 4 p.m.
Coast Guard rescuers tried to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at the Riviera Beach marina, said Palm Beach Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Pete Palenzuela.
Investigators were looking into whether an equipment malfunction or a lightning strike in the area contributed to Copinga's death. He was vacationing with his wife, Charlotte, and two daughters, authorities said.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
