ISLA DE MALPELO, Columbia (9 May 2003) -- The search continued Thursday for a Boulder dive-shop owner who disappeared off the Pacific coast of Colombia, but friends and family members said they were beginning to lose hope he would be found alive. "I think it's pretty much a recovery effort now, barring a miracle," said Michael Cain, whose father, David Cain, was never seen on the surface after a Sunday-morning dive. The 58-year-old owner of Scuba Joe and Cain Travel Group took seven divers to Isla de Malpelo, about 300 miles west of the Colombian coast. Along with crew members on their chartered yacht, the divers participated in the search through Wednesday, but then continued their trip, said David Cain's wife of 34 years, Linda Cain. "It was really hard for them," she said. "They had a memorial service at the back of the boat as they left the dive site." As the Colombian Coast Guard continues searching, Linda and Michael Cain said they've started thinking about their own memorial trip to Isla de Malpelo next spring. "It will always hold a special place in our hearts, I'm sure," Linda Cain said. The family also will get a glimpse of the tropical waters next week, when the divers return with underwater video footage shot by David Cain the day before he disappeared. "He had two fantastic dives on Saturday, and he shot a whole bunch of film," Linda Cain said. She said it would be "wonderful" seeing the hammerhead sharks her husband swam with. Since meeting as University of Colorado students in 1967, the couple had plenty of underwater experiences together — in the Caribbean, the Red Sea, and near Australia and Papua New Guinea. They also traveled to Europe and Africa together, and have co-owned Cain Travel Group since 1975. "You should never marry your best friend, because when you lose them you lose twice," Linda Cain said. | | Malpelo Island Other friends and family members remembered David Cain as a well-educated world traveler, a patient instructor, and a fun-loving adventurer with an enduring smile. "He is the kind of person that the world needs a lot of," said Boulder resident Joe Mottashed, who sold Scuba Joe to the Cains in 1999. Mottashed traveled to Malpelo with David Cain a few years ago. Although the currents can be strong there, Mottashed said, he can't imagine any elements or equipment problems the expert diver couldn't have handled. "For him not to get up to the surface, something very unusual would have to happen," Mottashed said. Bob Hohlfelder, a CU history professor who led several underwater archaeological explorations that David Cain volunteered on, said his friend "seemed to have no limits to his horizon." Hohlfelder said Cain's disappearance affected people around the globe, including colleagues in Israel who said they felt like they were struck by lightning upon hearing the news. "I can tell you that the impact of his loss has been international," Hohlfelder said. SOURCE - Daily Camera |
