Suwanee man dies while diving in Gulf of Mexico

By Rhonda Cook

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A 51-year-old Suwanee man died while diving at a sunken aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Mexico last weekend but the official cause of death will not be known until his  gear has been tested, Jeff Martin, Pensacola Medical Examiner’s Office director, said Tuesday.

Timothy Teagarden and his group had gone on Sunday to the decommissioned Oriskany, which was sunk in about 175 feet in the Gulf of Mexico in 2006. Martin told the AJC that Teagarden’s diving buddy “noticed him floating” and brought him to the surface. By then, Martin said, Teagarden was most likely dead; he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

An autopsy was performed Monday but the cause of death is pending the findings of the nonprofit Divers Alert Network, which will inspect Teagarden's equipment.