Photo credit: AI-generated image created using ChatGPT. Illustrative only
Lobster mini season is supposed to be one of those South Florida traditions where you plan hard, wake up early, and come home tired with a cooler that tells the story. But one incident off Fisher Island shows how fast a “my spot” argument can turn into something that puts a diver’s life on the line.
In the report shared in the source post, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies say a Miami Beach man later identified as Michael Simpson, 51, is accused of turning off an 18-year-old diver’s air supply during a dispute over a dive location—an allegation that led to an attempted second-degree murder charge.
Mini season brings crowds—and pressure—into tight water
Anyone who’s spent time on busy water knows the formula: limited structure, limited visibility, a short window to fill a limit, and too many boats trying to work the same patch. During lobster mini season, that pressure gets cranked up even more, because everybody’s trying to make the most of a couple days.
That pressure doesn’t excuse bad behavior. But it does explain why tempers flare when somebody feels like another boat has slid in close, cut them off, or anchored where they intended to work.
Deputies say it started as a fight over a diving spot
According to the sheriff’s office, the incident happened around 7:04 a.m. on July 29, about a half mile east of Fisher Island. Investigators say the diver, identified as Hunter Cofer, 18, was already in the water searching for lobsters.
Deputies wrote that the boat Cofer arrived with saw another boat approaching “at a high rate of speed.” When that boat stopped and anchored nearby, the captain—identified as Simpson—allegedly began a verbal dispute, claiming the other party was in “his spot.”
The allegation that changed everything: a threat, then an air shutoff
Arguments on the water are nothing new. Most of us have seen them: yelling across gunnels, people puffing up, somebody pointing at a GPS screen like it’s a deed. But the sheriff’s office says this one crossed a line that isn’t just reckless—it’s potentially deadly.
Deputies said Simpson became irate and threatened to turn off the breathing system supplying air to Cofer. Investigators allege he then jumped in the water and turned it off.
According to the arrest form, after Cofer was brought to safety he was “gasping for air,” appeared disoriented, and didn’t understand what had happened. The boat owner then jumped in and pulled Cofer to the surface, deputies said. Investigators also said Simpson fled the area after the machine was turned off.
Why messing with a diver’s air is a whole different kind of violence
You don’t have to be a diver to understand this: when somebody is underwater on a supplied-air system, that air is their lifeline. You can’t “talk it out” underwater. You can’t sprint away from trouble. Panic comes fast, and mistakes come faster.
Even if nobody ends up with a hospital bill, cutting air to a diver is the kind of act that can end in tragedy in seconds—especially with an 18-year-old down there trying to focus on bugs and bottom structure instead of survival. That’s why the allegation drew an attempted second-degree murder charge, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies said no injuries were reported. Cofer’s family told Local 10 News he’s studying to become a paramedic and is still processing what happened, and that he hasn’t returned to the water since.
What happened after: surrender, bond, and a denial
Detectives said Simpson voluntarily surrendered to authorities on Tuesday. He posted a $10,000 bond on Wednesday and exited the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center that evening, telling media, “Please allow both sides to come out.”
Simpson’s attorney, Howard Srebnick, said his client will plead not guilty and denied the allegations. Srebnick said, “He never touched the tank, and so this claim that he had something to do with the tank turning off is just false,” adding that they have eyewitnesses who can confirm Simpson “never touched the tank.”
The courts will sort out what can be proven. But from a practical outdoorsman’s standpoint, this is the nightmare scenario of crowded-season conflict—where ego and entitlement take over and someone makes a choice that can’t be undone.
The lesson for boaters and divers: the “spot” isn’t worth a life
Whether you’re hunting public ground opening weekend or trying to work a reef line during mini season, the same rule applies: you don’t own the spot. You might have been there first. You might have a long history there. But that doesn’t give anyone the right to endanger another person to “win” water.
If another boat slides too close, the smart move is boring: create distance, document what you can safely document, and let law enforcement handle actual violations. On the water, small decisions stack up—how close you anchor, how you approach, what you say, and whether you keep your hands to yourself.
And if you’re the diver in the water, this is another reminder to only drop with people you trust to stay calm topside. Your safety isn’t just your gear. It’s the judgment of the folks running the boat above you.
Lobster season will always bring crowds and competition. But there’s a hard line every outdoorsman should recognize: once you start interfering with someone’s ability to breathe, you’re not arguing about territory anymore—you’re gambling with a human life.
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