This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A North Salt Lake woman died Saturday while scuba diving off the coast of Palm Beach, Fla.
Julie Lynne Cannon Ballard, 56, was on a dive to get her certification as a scuba diver when something went wrong about 60 feet under the ocean, the Palm Beach Daily News reported Thursday.
Ballard, her dive instructor and the owner/operator of the commercial boat, dove to the ocean floor about 2 p.m. Saturday, according to the Daily News.
Everything was going well until one of the people in the group said she noticed Ballard's regulator was out of her mouth, the newspaper reported.
First aid efforts followed once Ballard was brought up to the boat. She was pronounced dead at St. Mary's Medical Center, according to the Daily News.
Authorities were quoted as saying foul play was not suspected.
Ballard worked in the area of newborn and pediatric respiratory care for more than 30 years, according to an obituary published by Memorial Mortuaries and Cemeteries.
"She has been recognized for her work in changing the way respiratory therapists care for patients with bronchiolitis," the obituary states. "Her outcomes have been reported nationally and have been embraced by respiratory therapists around the world."
Family members said Ballard passed away peacefully while doing something she loved, according to the obituary.