Local News

Prominent shipwreck explorer dies scuba diving off Cape Cod

Officials believe that Joseph Mazraani was diving near Georges Bank about 150 miles off the coast when he experienced a medical emergency.

August 3, 2025

2 minutes to read

An active member of the scuba diving community died after an apparent medical emergency while diving off the coast of Cape Cod Tuesday, according to reports.

Officials believe that Joseph Mazraani, 48, was diving near Georges Bank, an underwater plateau about 150 miles off the coast when he experienced a medical emergency, the Bristol County District Attorney said, per NBC10 Boston.

Others in the group pulled Mazraani, of New Jersey, out of the water but were unable to revive him, the news station reported. His vessel, a 45-foot boat, reported to New Bedford around 6 a.m. Wednesday, the DA said. Foul play is not suspected.

Mazraani, a criminal defense attorney, was a licensed captain and president of Atlantic Wreck Salvage, which conducts operations in the North Atlantic, according to its website. He has been a certified diver since the mid-90s.

The vessel associated with the company is D/V Tenacious, which shared Mazraani’s death on Facebook. Jenn Sellitti, the company’s marketing director and Mazraani’s partner, wrote that “while we are choosing to keep the details private, we currently have no reason to suspect diver error or equipment failure. All indications point to a medical emergency.”

An investigation is underway, she said.

“Joe Mazraani was larger than life. He was kind, compassionate, and generous. A mentor and a student, a friend, brother, son, and partner,” Sellitti wrote. “Whether motoring aboard D/V Tenacious, diving into deep and dangerous water, or defending his clients in court, Joe demanded the best of everyone around him. Sometimes he demanded it grumpily—but he always demanded by example.”

Mazraani grew up in Lebanon and immigrated to the United States when he was 15, according to his online bio. He has led expeditions to the Britannic, the sister ship of the Titanic, and the Luistania. Mazraani is credited with locating the Britannic’s bell in 2019, his bio said.

“Shipwreck exploration is a way of life for Joe,” his online bio says. “Joe quickly took to diving sunken wrecks off the Northeast U.S. coast and instantly developed an obsession with exploring the sunken hulks that litter the approaches to New York Harbor.”

He has also led expeditions to the SS Andrea Doria, an Italian ship that sank in 1956 after colliding with another ship off the coast of Nantucket. D/V Tenacious’s most recent post on Facebook indicated the crew might have been diving to that wreckage on July 29.

Since 2020, Mazraani had been an associate member of the Boston Sea Rovers, which penned a tribute to him on social media Friday.

“We are heartbroken for the loss of our family,” the nonprofit diving club wrote. Rest in Peace, Joe Mazraani, shipwreck explorer. You have been an inspiration to us all.”