Adrift for 40 Hours, the Makers are Back Diving

Kim and Nathan Maker, had their dive trip on the MV Fling into the Gulf of Mexico turn into a nightmare as the couple drifted 40 hours before being rescued (see Undercurrent, August 2024). That was in late July. In September, they were back diving, this time off Palm Beach, Florida, and they were filmed by Inside Edition.

The captain of Dive Time Charters briefed the couple on safety procedures, telling them, "In the event you guys find yourself separated at any point in time, you're gonna follow the lost buddy procedure. When it's safe to do so, I'll come pick you up."

The couple then geared up. "There's always a little bit of hesitation, a little bit of nervousness every time we dive," Kim said. At first, the couple clung tightly to the dive rope but quickly let go and dove into the depths.

"With me, sometimes I feel like I'm invincible," Nathan says. "You always think like, 'That happened to somebody else, not to me,' and so I do know, like when we went missing and as soon as the boat went completely out of sight, I remember thinking inside, 'Oh no, this is how movies start, not good movies.'"

When the dive was over, they surfaced and waited for their dive boat to pick them up.

"The diving was great. But then, sitting on the surface of the water again, just floating, I did not like that. That took me back to a very bad moment, and it's like, 'Yup, I'm done with this.' I get back on the boat. I don't want to do this anymore," Kim says.

The Makers say they are grateful to be able to get back into the water.

"I just wanted to conquer that fear. Fear does not have to overpower you," Kim says.

"I think this made us stronger as a couple and individually," Nathan says.

You can view an excellent video of the couple describing their harrowing 40 hours at sea at:
https://tinyurl.com/uvny87j7