After reading “Divers’ 25-Hour Left at Sea” in the
April issue (which described the experience of two
divers left behind by Aqua-Nuts in Key Largo), my
wife and I felt we should let other divers know of our
experience with Aqua-Nuts and Kelly’s in October
2000 and February 2001. We couldn’t have had a better time! The staff at
Kelly’s as well as Aqua-Nuts were courteous and organized. They “bent over
backwards” to accommodate their customers. As a result of Michael and
Lynda Evans being left at sea, the boat/diver management has been corrected.
Roll calls are taken on land prior to boarding, once again after boarding,
and most importantly, one more time following each and every dive. The
boat captain, divemaster and crew were not only efficient and attentive, but
also fun to dive with. We certainly do not wish to minimize the experience of
Michael and Lynda Evans. In fact, we completely sympathize with what happened
to them. It should not have occurred with proper dive boat management;
head counts, roll calls, dive tags, or some other means to make sure
that everyone is accounted for after a dive. Unfortunately, it usually takes an
incident like this to highlight a problem. Fortunately, no loss of life occurred.
So, at this time, from our perspective, we feel that the Aqua-Nuts should
be given a “green light” as being a safe and efficient dive operation. We have
no problem in recommending them to other divers.
—Mark & Lindsay Dreyfus