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When Battle Ground’s Mike and Brenda Dobbs booked a two-week vacation to go scuba diving in the waters around Belize, they expected to be amazed by the underwater views. It turned out the most shocking thing they saw was above the waterline.
Just three days into the trip, the Dobbses were among 22 passengers and crew forced to abandon a 48-foot dive boat after its engine caught fire.
As smoke filled the cabin, passengers were told to put on their inflatable dive jackets and jump into the water.
“We were among the last to put on our jackets,” Brenda Dobbs said.
Amazingly, Mike Dobbs found his disposable underwater camera just as he was about to jump. It was their only possession salvaged from the ship before it burned and sank.
The Dobbses, like most passengers, lost money, clothes and diving equipment on the boat, but they do have photos of the memorable experience thanks to that disposable camera.
It all happened in calm waters, Brenda Dobbs said, and another dive boat in the area was able to rescue everyone. The billowing cloud of black smoke was easy to see, so it didn’t take long to attract help.
The Dobbses had just earned their open water scuba diving certification from Thunder Reef Divers in Hazel Dell before booking their first underwater adventure.
