On November 4, 1994, David William Madott, a 25-year-old from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, disappeared while on a scuba diving trip off the coast of Marco Island, Florida. He was accompanied by his friends, Omar Shearer and Kent Munro, both also 25, and Jeffrey Wandich, whose family owned a condominium on the island. The group of four, all licensed scuba divers, set off from the Marco River Marina in Wandich's 25-foot pleasure boat, the Sea Esta, with plans to fish and dive at the wreck of the Baja California, located approximately 55 miles southwest of Marco Island in the Gulf of Mexico.
Earlier in the day, the trip was briefly interrupted when one of the boat's outboard motors appeared to be overheating, prompting a return to the marina to purchase replacement thermostats. After this delay, they stopped to catch bait before proceeding to the Baja California wreck. They fished for about an hour before increasing surf made Munro feel queasy.
The group then decided to proceed with their dive, leaving the Sea Esta unattended. According to Wandich, the sole survivor, when they surfaced about 15 minutes later, at approximately 3:30 p.m., they found the boat had mostly submerged, with only about three feet of its bow above water.
The four men, all wearing wetsuits and fully inflated buoyancy compensators, held onto the anchor rope of the partially submerged boat until about 7:00 p.m. when it sank completely. They then began swimming together towards a U.S. Department of Defense light tower, approximately three miles east of the wreck, as the seas swelled to six feet. Wandich recounted that he became momentarily overcome with fear and separated from the group. He claimed Shearer called out to him to rejoin them, but by the time he turned back, his three friends were gone. After searching for them in the dark, turbulent waters, Wandich swam to the tower alone, arriving around 11:00 p.m.
A search for the four men was initiated on the evening of November 4th after they failed to return to port. Wandich was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard from the light tower on the morning of November 6th, 36 hours after the incident. An extensive six-day search by the Coast Guard, covering 23,000 square miles with boats and aircraft, found no trace of Madott, Shearer, or Munro. Their bodies, wetsuits, or buoyancy compensators were never recovered. The Sea Esta was later found on top of the Baja California wreck, and an inspection suggested the boat may not have been equipped to handle the weight it was carrying that day.
The official investigation, which briefly involved the FBI, concluded that the disappearances were a tragic accident and the three men were likely lost at sea. However, numerous theories have emerged over the years, ranging from a voluntary disappearance to a drug deal gone wrong, though none have been substantiated. The families of the missing men have continued to search for answers and have offered a substantial reward for information leading to their recovery.Last Seen: Nov 4, 1994
