Calypso Dive Charters | South Florida Diving With Sharks

What travelers say:

I am Padi & SSI AOW/Nitrox and TDI Solo Certified with almost 600 logged dives, most within the past 15 years and include diving in the cold dark waters of the NE Atlantic on shipwrecks off of New Jersey. The incident described herein was at the conclusion of my 537th logged dive.Last year I was diving off of Palm Beach, Florida with Calypso Dive Charters LLC, on their boat the "Miss Jackie". After an uneventful drift dive I surfaced near the boat, with safety sausage deployed and BCD inflated, while Captain David Finch, the sole crew member on board pulled along side and motioned me towards the boat while standing at the transom on the port side. As I approached the boat, a wave carried me against and then under the boat. I realized to my horror that the propeller was still spinning and I was being carried directly towards it. The prop caught my left forearm, shredding my wetsuit and slicing into my forearm (see photos). I was later diagnosed with a lacerated tendon.The ambulance and EMS met the boat at the dock, I was given an IV, stabilized and transported to nearby St. Marys hospital where I was treated for shock and wound closure. Once back in my home state I underwent surgical consultations and months of physical therapy. I have limitations in hand function that are likely permanent, the surgeon said that there was nothing he could do to improve things further, and physical therapy was no longer productive.The medical bills are over $10,000. I subsequently discovered that the boat charter owner, Luis Roman HAS NO INSURANCE TO COVER IN-WATER ACCIDENTS!!. That's right, this operator of a DIVE boat has no medical or liability insurance to cover divers once they step off his boat(see the enclosed document). I requested that Luis Roman cover my share of the medical bills. Via his spokesperson/attorney who no longer returns phone messages from my counsel, he made an insulting offer of $500.