A diver disappears off the Keys and the Coast Guard is searching

The U.S. Coast Guard searched on Tuesday night for a missing scuba diver off the Upper Florida Keys.

The diver disappeared in the vicinity of Alligator Reef, about five miles off the ocean side of Lower Matecumbe Key. The crew of a vessel called The Pisces reported the diver missing around 5:15 p.m., according to Petty Officer Eric Woodall, a Coast Guard spokesman.

The Coast Guard launched a 33-foot fast response boat from Coast Guard Station Islamorada, a MH-65-Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Miami and the cutter Charles Sexton from Sector Key West to conduct the search.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also joined in the effort, Woodall said.

The missing diver was identified Wednesday by the Coast Guard as Rob Stewart, 37, of Toronto.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

This story was originally published February 1, 2017 at 5:05 AM with the headline "A diver disappears off the Keys and the Coast Guard is searching."

David Goodhue

Miami Herald

305-923-9728

David Goodhue covers the Florida Keys and South Florida for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald. Before joining the Herald, he covered Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware.