Yes, we have one person with direct testimony of his equipment being damaged and one person who says that he used to work for a business that has taken in damaged tanks that people TELL him were serviced at the shop in question. So that is one person with 1st hand knowledge and one person submitting hearsay. (No offense to the latter person, thats just the way the information has been presented.)
Meanwhile, if I read your badge correctly, you are a Divemaster. Your insurance requirements are minimal compared to Instructors or dive shop o/o's in this country. In fact, unless you are teaching/guiding on your own, you don't even NEED your own liability insurance. Thus, since you are not shelling out the kind of money we are (about $515 per person since we are both Instructors), you have no idea about what it costs to teach scuba diving in this country.
FYI, the same policy in Canada would cost us about $315 CDN p/p. AAMOF, when we left Canada we were paying a combined premium of ~$400 CDN. Our first year in the US that was almost what it cost EACH of us for liability insurance. Is scuba less DANGEROUS in Canada than the US? No. Are there more competent Instructors there than in the US? No. Are there less people SUING each other in Canada than the US? YES! Hence the higher premiums in the US.
The thread starter has stated that I heard tonight that the doors to Sunrise Scuba are closed for good. So far his only method of trying to contact the owner of the business has been by telephone. That's hardly exhausting all methods of contact or doing your due diligence [sic] before publically declaring your intention to sue someone.
How has this gone from one persons problems with a small business to a danger to the entire diving community? If thats the case, maybe we should be putting this up on Americas Most Wanted rather than asking people to participate in a lawsuit.
Does Salmonboy97 deserve to be reimbursed for the damage to his equipment? Yes. But talking about lawsuits at this stage is premature.