Skiles died while on a dive off Boynton Beach, Florida, on July 21, 2010. He signalled to the other divers that he was ascending because he was out of film (although not technically shooting "film" in this digital age)

His body was found on the reef, shortly after that. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful and he was subsequently pronounced dead at a local hospital.

In 1985, Skiles founded Karst Productions and continued his underwater film career.

Skiles conducted film projects for many groups such as National Geographic. His expedition to record deepwater sharks had him diving to a depth of 700 FSW for 11 hours in a Newtsuit"

Skiles created, directed and was the cinematographer of the PBS series, “Water's Journey”. The project was an effort by Skiles to increase public awareness of their groundwater and the hydrogeological cycle.

In addition to still photography, Skiles work includes more than one hundred films for television that he filmed, directed and produced.

Unresolved mystery

The rebreather Skiles were using, the tank and the gas inside was examined by an expert and nothing was found out of order, said Harold Ruslander, the chief investigator for the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office.

Further, he said, a forensic examination found nothing wrong with Skiles that may have given clues as to why he drowned.