The Loss of a Diving Icon

A couple decades ago, Lisa Coquette left her long partnership with Tom Shockley in Dive Makai (it was one of the first operations I ever reviewed) on the island of Hawaii and moved to the Solomon Islands to open a boutique dive operation. She was attracted to the lovely people, the virgin reefs, the beautiful islands, and the isolation. Sadly that isolation led to her death on May 25th.

After opening her first lodge and dive operation, she was eventually chased away by a few unfriendly locals. She relocated to another spot on Morova lagoon, fashioned a second guest house and dive operation to take just a few guests at a time while devoting endless hours supporting the local residents any way she could. She stayed in touch with those who knew her with chatty monthly emails describing her very basic life and diving business; after each, I promised myself I would dive with her soon. I never did.

While walking on a crumbling dock, she broke through, severely lacerating her legs, one eventually swelling several times its size. With medical services a plane ride away, she was taken care of as well as could be; however, by the time she did avail herself of medical care, it was too late, and she passed away, most likely from sepsis, wrote her sister.

She was a great friend and supporter of her Solomon Islands community, a unique find for those in the dive community who had the fortune to stay and dive with her, and a great loss for all.

- Ben Davison