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Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 20:01:19 -0500
To: techdiver-request@aq*.co*, cavers@cavers.com
From: Mike Rodriguez <mikey@ma*.co*>
Subject: Incident in Key Largo

Published Friday, February 25, 2000, in the Miami Herald

=================== Begin Exerpt ==================
Dive boat leaves couple behind

LISA FUSS

lfuss@he*.co*

KEY LARGO -- A California couple who went scuba diving in Key Largo saw more
marine life than they bargained for: Their chartered dive boat inadvertently
abandoned them, leaving the two stranded in the water overnight, six miles
from shore.

Michael and Linda Evans, both 51, of Castroville, Calif., departed Aqua-Nuts
Dive Center early Tuesday afternoon aboard one of its two 42-foot vessels
for
what was supposed to be a two-tank dive. When they surfaced after the first
of two stops at The Elbow, a reef just outside John Pennekamp Coral Reef
State Park, the dive boat -- along with its 23 other scuba divers and two
crew members -- had pulled up anchor and left.

With wind speeds at around 25 knots, waves measuring up to four feet and
water temperature dropping to the 60s, the couple managed to swim to the
36-foot steel light tower marking the reef and climbed atop its platform,
where they spent Tuesday night and most of Wednesday, the Florida Marine
Patrol said.

A passing sailboat spotted the couple, who were wearing wet suits, on the
platform late Wednesday afternoon and contacted the marine patrol. Both
suffered from exposure as well as minor cuts and scrapes to their hands and
legs from climbing onto the structure.

On Thursday, the couple met with Aqua-Nuts co-owner Shirlee Thaler for
several hours to discuss the incident and reportedly checked out of Kelly's
on the Bay, the dive lodge next door that Thaler and son Ricky Thaler own
and
operate.

Ricky Thaler said the couple did not want to talk to the media about the
incident.

Capt. James Evans and dive master Steve Colletti, aboard the dive boat on
Tuesday, could not be reached for comment.

Ricky Thaler insisted Thursday that his dive shop has a clean safety record
and has never made such a ``stupid'' mistake in its eight years in
operation.
Saying he wanted to restrict his comments until he could talk to a lawyer,
Thaler declined to elaborate on the details of the ordeal, including whether
or not a head count -- standard on scuba trips by most dive outlets -- had
been taken.

``This is absolutely devastating to us,'' said Thaler, a boat captain and
certified diving instructor. ``We've spent years building a great reputation
and trying to stay on the leading edge of dive technology, and something
horrible like this happens. . . . We have always taken safety seriously. We
send off our air [tanks] every couple of months for analysis and make sure
our boats are up to standard. This is definitely the worst thing we've ever
had happen here. We're all numb.''

While safety records on Aqua-Nuts' two vessels were unavailable at press
time, the dive resort has earned numerous awards, including the coveted PADI
International Resort Association's ``Gold Palm Resort'' accreditation.
Aqua-Nuts also was recently named among the top five best dive operators in
the Keys by Scuba Diving magazine. Last year, Thaler and his staff trained
more than 380 dive students.

The only incident to have garnered any media attention occurred last May,
when a diver got tangled up in the propeller of an Aqua-Nuts dive boat and
broke his wrist.

The incident involving the Evanses has been turned over to the U.S. Coast
Guard's Marine Safety Office for investigation. Lt. Doug Campbell, who is
handling the case, said several actions can be taken in such a case,
including assessing civil penalties or charges against the boat captain.

Thaler said it is unknown whether Michael Evans, who is an attorney in
California, intends to take legal action.

News about the ordeal spread quickly Thursday around the Key Largo diving
community. While several dive operators recalled similar incidents in the
Keys where divers were left behind, all pointed out that none were abandoned
more than an hour or two.

Barbara Navarro, co-owner of Key Largo-based Divers City USA, said a
manifest
is kept on shore and onboard during every dive trip with divers' names,
instruction levels and equipment. Although her dive boat typically takes
only
10 divers at a time, Navarro said a head count is always taken. To imagine
other dive operators doing differently concerns her.

``You can pretty much tell when someone is missing,'' Navarro said. ``Empty
seats usually gives it away if nothing else. . . . It's an unfortunate
accident, what happened, but it's sloppy work. That's the bottom line.''
==================== End Exerpt ===================


-Mike Rodriguez
<mikey@ma*.co*>
Pn(x) = (1/(2^n)n!)[d/dx]^n(x^2 - 1)^n

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