On Thanksgiving day, November 26, 1998 I arrived early in the morning at Amoray Divers in Key Largo to dive with five other people, four of whom I’d never before met in person. I knew them from an online dive forum called Rodale’s SCUBA Diving, a message board sponsored by a print magazine about diving.
That was the day I met Rachelle Ackerman (LA Sea Turtle), her sister Fran (I don’t remember her screen name), Robert Moo Young (Moo), and Michael Brady (MB). I had met Jerry Driscoll on some dives near Sharkey’s Pier at Venice Beach about two weeks prior on the 13th.
We made two dives that day as a group of six, first at Molassas Reef and then at French. On the first dive we discovered three of us – MB, Moo, and I knew a limited amount of American Sign Language (ASL) which made it easier for us to communicate during the dive. Moo posed us all for a photo near the winch and during the dive, I found a lobster molt which I dropped on Jerry’s head. He pretended it was eating his face. Everyone was playful throughout the dive and we all had a grand time.
On the second dive, every time I looked at MB he was laughing.
Both dives were extremely enjoyable and after the dives we found an open restaurant and enjoyed our Thanksgiving dinner together.
That was the beginning of wonderful friendships. Not long after that, the Diverlink forum opened and we migrated over there, sometime after that this forum opened and we came here.
Over the years, Mike Brady became one of my dearest friends, someone who always has my respect as a diver, as a dive instructor, and as a human being. His sense of humor always increased the fun at any get together. We dived together frequently and I always enjoyed his company.
Mike passed away Thursday night. The world is a sadder place today.
That was the day I met Rachelle Ackerman (LA Sea Turtle), her sister Fran (I don’t remember her screen name), Robert Moo Young (Moo), and Michael Brady (MB). I had met Jerry Driscoll on some dives near Sharkey’s Pier at Venice Beach about two weeks prior on the 13th.
We made two dives that day as a group of six, first at Molassas Reef and then at French. On the first dive we discovered three of us – MB, Moo, and I knew a limited amount of American Sign Language (ASL) which made it easier for us to communicate during the dive. Moo posed us all for a photo near the winch and during the dive, I found a lobster molt which I dropped on Jerry’s head. He pretended it was eating his face. Everyone was playful throughout the dive and we all had a grand time.
On the second dive, every time I looked at MB he was laughing.
Both dives were extremely enjoyable and after the dives we found an open restaurant and enjoyed our Thanksgiving dinner together.
That was the beginning of wonderful friendships. Not long after that, the Diverlink forum opened and we migrated over there, sometime after that this forum opened and we came here.
Over the years, Mike Brady became one of my dearest friends, someone who always has my respect as a diver, as a dive instructor, and as a human being. His sense of humor always increased the fun at any get together. We dived together frequently and I always enjoyed his company.
Mike passed away Thursday night. The world is a sadder place today.
