Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission explains why it gave case about alleged cutoff of diver's air supply to sheriff's office

Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald on Aug 6, 2026

Published in News & Features

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MIAMI — A man accused of turning off a diver’s oxygen supply after a dispute over a diving spot during lobster mini-season said the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission “cleared him” minutes after the incident.

But in a statement to The Miami Herald on Thursday, the FWC said officers located the boat that Michael Simpson was on and notified the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office to investigate because the incident “stemmed from an altercation between divers and was not related to a boating accident.”

Simpson, 51, is facing an attempted-murder charge in connection to the July 29 incident, which occurred half a mile east of Fisher Island. Simpson, through a family spokesperson, denied the allegation, saying he “never came into contact with, or interfered with, anyone’s diving equipment.”

MDSO arrested Simpson and is the lead investigating agency on the case.

In its statement, the FWC said officers responded to the area, located the vessel that Simpson was on and interviewed him. But what Simpson told officers is unclear.

The people on the diver’s boat, the FWC noted in the statement, told officers that no one aboard was injured, although they wanted to bring the matter to law enforcement’s attention.

Around 5:30 a.m. on July 29, the diver entered the water at a known lobster-diving location, according to Simpson’s arrest report. The boat’s captain told investigators he had to warn someone on a 39-foot Contender to stay away from a Brownie diving system, a floating compressor that pumps fresh air through an air hose to divers.

Simpson became “irate” and said, “(I’ll) turn the Brownie off if I want to!” before swimming over and switching it off, according to the report.

Witnesses told investigators that Simpson intentionally shut off the Brownie air supply, cutting off the diver’s air, the report states. People aboard the first boat immediately began yelling, “We have a diver down there you a—hole,” per the document.

The captain of the first boat jumped into the water and pulled the diver to the surface using the Brownie’s air hose, according to the report. When the diver surfaced, he was tangled in the air hose and the anchor line. He was gasping for air, appeared disoriented and didn’t understand what had happened, witnesses told deputies.

Simpson was part of Miami-Dade County’s Boater Safety and Bay Education Task Force, which was formed in 2024 following the death of 17-year-old Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez in a Biscayne Bay boat crash, according to the task force’s webpage. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava established the task force in partnership with the Lucy Fernandez Foundation.

Lucy was killed and Katerina “Katy” Puig, now 21, was left with physical and neurological disabilities after a Sept. 4, 2022, boat crash. Doral real estate broker George Pino, who was at the helm of the vessel when it slammed into a channel marker, was found not guilty in June of manslaughter and vessel-homicide charges stemming from Lucy’s death.

Lucy’s father, Andres Fernandez and Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle were also on the task force. In July, the task force issued a report recommending more boating-safety education and enforcement of boating laws on Biscayne Bay.

Simpson is also the registered owner of Island Queen Cruises & Tours, according to SunBiz. The sightseeing company offers excursions, including sunset cruises, day trips from Miami to Key West, ferry service to the Bahamas and its popular “Millionaire’s Row” cruise, which showcases the waterfront mansions of Miami Beach’s rich and famous.

“Mike Simpson has devoted his life to boating safety. He has earned a reputation as one of South Florida’s safest and most responsible boaters and serves on a boating safety council,” the family statement says. “He looks forward to presenting the full facts in court, clearing his name, and restoring the reputation he has spent a lifetime building.”

(Miami Herald Staff Writer Milena Malaver contributed to this report.)