TERESA MARS On the afternoon of October 8, 2001, Peter Hughes decided not to evacuate passengers and non-essential crew from Wave Dancer despite National Hurricane Center warnings that Hurricane Iris would slam into Belize with deadly force. A few hours later, Ray Mars and 19 other passengers and crew were dead, trapped in the flooded cabins of a capsized Wave Dancer.Teresa Mars, Ray's widow, has steadfastly refused to sign a gag order as part of any settlement brokered by Hughes's attorneys, and is leading a courageous battle for justice and accountability on behalf of the relatives of Wave Dancer victims. TOM STARK On October 8, 2001, Aaron Stark and 19 other passengers and crew drowned when Hurricane Iris slammed into Belize and capsized the Peter Hughes Diving Inc Wave Dancer.Peter Hughes claims the tragedy, the worst in the history of recreational diving, was caused by a huge, freak wave or a freak tornado. Tom Stark, Aaron's father, and many of the families of the victims believe the accident was caused by corporate greed, human error, negligence and simple stupidity, and have filed wrongful death lawsuits against Peter Hughes and Peter Hughes Diving Inc. BOB DIMOND To feed or not to feed. That is the question. It has polarized divers in Florida, aroused strong opinions throughout the global diving community and turned best friends into bitter enemies.In one corner stands Bob Dimond and friends supported by a grassroots coalition of environmental groups. In the other corner stands PADI, DEMA and a powerful coalition of dive industry heavies. The war is over shark feeding and the battle lines are being drawn across each and every Florida coastal community. | | |
