CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — A man who was hit by a boat while diving for scallops is offering a $25,000 reward for information that could lead to finding the person who hit him.

Jason Wetmore was diving for scallops with his girlfriend Nicole Burko and his kids when a fast-moving boat drove through the area and hit him. The hit-and-run happened on July 6 northwest of St. Martins River in the Crystal River/Homosassa scallop ground. 

Burko said she heard the boat coming and quickly dove to the seabed.

“I dove down for a scallop when I heard an engine roaring by, so I held onto the bottom — seven feet deep,” she said. 

She said she surfaced and saw a vessel which she describes as a new Sea Fox or Robalo — very light blue with chrome lettering (23 to 25 feet) with a single dark engine and a white T-Top.

Burko said they stopped and then drove off. Wetmore surfaced shortly after, screaming in pain. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he is still recovering.

Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission is asking homeowners for security cameras that are facing Crystal River or Withlacoochee River. If you have any information, you are asked to reach out to FWC. 

Burko said she hopes that someone will come forward.

“If you made a mistake, and you didn’t realize what happened and you come forward, the consequences are going to be different,” she said. “It’s not too late to do the right thing.”