BAJA, Mexico (12 Nov 2003) -- Katie Vrooman was doing what she loved doing, something the 77-year-old Rock Island woman discovered 13 years ago and became her passion — scuba diving. Tragically, it was scuba diving that took the life of the former owner of the Katy-Did pub in Rock Island earlier this week while on a scuba-diving expedition off La Paz, Mexico, in the Baja Peninsula. "She was an awesome person," said longtime friend Ann Boaden of Rock Island, a professor of literature and writing at Augustana College, Rock Island. Boaden said she was informed early Monday afternoon that Vrooman's body had been found in the Sea of Cortez after she and her diving buddy, Scott Jones, came up missing during what was described as a "difficult dive." Jones was rescued alive. Vrooman had traveled from the Quad-Cities to La Paz with a group of divers that included Jones, who owns Scuba Adventures QCA, Inc., Davenport. The trip to the Sea of Cortez was booked through Baja Expeditions Inc., headquartered in San Diego. Jones, a Professional Association of Diving Instructors, or P.A.D.I., master instructor, returned to the Quad-City International Airport near Moline about 9:15 p.m. Wednesday. About 15 people, some wearing Scuba Adventure jackets, met him. When approached by the Times, a spokesman for the group said they had no comment "at this time," and that Jones had been through a trying time. According to the business' Web site, divers would get to see schools of hammerhead sharks, manta rays and a wide variety of different aquatic life. "It was just a passion with her," Boaden said. "She observed some scuba divers on vacation about 13 years ago, and said, 'I just want to do that.' " Vrooman became a "very skilled diver" and went on many diving expeditions over the years, Boaden said. And on this trip, she especially was anxious to see hammerheads. "The accident occurred so early on in the trip, I am not so sure that was realized, though," Boaden said. She said they actually know very little about what happened. | | "Information came out in fragments. What we heard was from Dr. Marilyn Hoover, her diving companion for about 13 years," she said of Hoover, also an Augustana professor who also made the trip. "We were told that Katie and Scott had gone on a difficult dive together and that they had been lost. When they had not returned to their boat, there was some recognizance going on. Apparently, he was located (alive). He was found and Katie was not, until later, about 24 hours later." Boaden said she is not sure how long Jones was in the water, but one report was that he was not found for 24 to 30 hours. He was rescued through the efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy. "We received our information on Monday. They left on the diving excursion early Saturday morning," Boaden said. "Marilyn Hoover was on the expedition. You always have to have a diving buddy. But apparently, she did not go on this particularly dive. Katie and Scott went together. We were told it was a difficult and challenging dive." Although not knowing what went wrong, she said the Sea of Cortez is known for very strong current, which could have played a role in the tragedy. She said Hoover is expected to return to the Quad-Cities late today. "Her last word (on the phone) was that she was OK. Devastated, but OK," Boaden said. Boaden said friends and Vrooman's sister, Elisabeth Nations, a retired professor of German at Augustana, must wait to get more details of the accident. Meanwhile, Boaden said they always will remember the special qualities of Vrooman, who was born in Germany. "She had an incredibly vivid personality and enthusiasm for life and scuba diving," Boaden said. "That is what everyone knows about her … She also was a great gardener. Her yard is beautiful. She loved things that were vivid and colorful. What drew her to scuba diving was the great beauty that was what was underneath." SOURCE - Quad-City Timess |
