14 Facts About Dewey Smith

Dewey Dewayne Smith was an underwater diver, former United States Navy medic and professional aquanaut.

Dewey Smith died during a dive from the Aquarius underwater habitat off Key Largo in May 2009.

Dewey Smith served in the United States Navy as a Hospital Corpsman aboard the USS Peleliu in San Diego, California, and was honorably discharged after five years of service.

Dewey Smith learned to scuba dive while working with Florida State University's Underwater Crime Scene Investigation program.

Dewey Smith joined Aquarius, which is owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and operated by the University of North Carolina Wilmington, in 2007.

Dewey Smith worked as a habitat technician and undersea research diver.

In May 2009, Dewey Smith was aboard Aquarius to train US Navy divers in saturation diving and prepare for upcoming scientific studies in the Conch Reef area.

On May 5,2009, Dewey Smith was assisting two Navy divers, Bill Dodd and Corey Seymour, who were 300 feet from Aquarius using an underwater jackhammer to install a way station that would contain breathable air.

Dewey Smith informed Dodd and Seymour that he was returning to Aquarius but would be back.

Five or ten minutes later, Seymour noticed that Dewey Smith was lying on his side in the water, his mouthpiece out of his mouth.

Dewey Smith was pronounced dead at 3:25 pm by a Navy doctor.

Dewey Smith's death was the first associated with the Aquarius program.

The investigation concluded that due to these issues Dewey Smith became unconscious from hypoxia and drowned when the mouthpiece came out of his mouth.

Dewey Smith enjoyed playing the drums, tennis, exercising and movies.