SC man dies while parasailing off Florida

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — An autopsy is pending for a South Carolina man who died while parasailing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Gary Morse says 31-year-old David Sieradzki was in the air Monday when the parasailing boat lost power.

The Coast Guard says Sieradzki fell from as high as 800 feet into the water at an unknown speed about a mile off Longboat Key. He was declared dead at an Anna Maria Island boat ramp.

Morse says Sieradzki wore a life jacket and waved his hands after he landed in the water. Morse says Sieradzki’s landing wasn’t hard, but something happened in the water that led to his death.

The parasailing company’s manager says a mechanical malfunction caused the boat to lose power.