On November 3, 1994, Kent Lionel Munro, 25, and his friends Omar Shearer and David Madott, also 25, traveled from their hometown of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, to Marco Island, Florida. They were there to spend the weekend at the family condominium of their friend, Jeffrey Wandich. The three planned to return to Canada on November 7.
The following morning, November 4, the four men, all licensed scuba divers, set out from the Marco River Marina around 8:00 a.m. in Wandich's boat, the "Sea Esta". Their plan was to fish and dive at the wreck of the Baja California, a freighter sunk during World War II, located approximately 55 miles southwest of Marco Island in the Gulf of Mexico. Shortly after their departure, one of the boat's outboard motors appeared to be overheating, prompting a brief return to the marina where Wandich purchased replacement thermostats. They then continued their trip, stopping to catch bait at a wreck known as Ben's Barge, about four miles from Marco Island, before proceeding to the Baja California wreck. After fishing for about an hour, Munro began to feel seasick from the increasing surf.
Around 3:30 p.m., the group decided to scuba dive, leaving the "Sea Esta" unattended. According to Wandich's account, when they surfaced from their 15-minute dive, they found the boat mostly submerged, with only about three feet of the bow visible above water. All four men were wearing wetsuits and fully inflated buoyancy compensators. They held onto the anchor rope of the partially submerged boat until about 7:00 p.m. when the vessel sank completely, pulling the rope from their grasp. As the seas swelled to six feet, they began swimming together towards a U.S. Department of Defense light tower, approximately three miles east of the wreck. Wandich stated that he became separated from the others after turning away in fear and that when he looked back, he could no longer see his friends. He continued to the tower alone, climbing it around 11:00 p.m.
A search for the four men was initiated on the evening of November 4 after they failed to return to port. Wandich was rescued from the light tower by the U.S. Coast Guard on the morning of November 6, 35 hours after the incident. It was at this time he learned that Munro, Shearer, and Madott had not been found. An extensive two-week search by the Coast Guard, supplemented by private aircraft and boats, yielded no trace of the three men or their equipment. Subsequent investigations, including a brief involvement by the FBI, concluded that the incident was likely an accident and that the men were lost at sea. Divers who examined the sunken "Sea Esta" suggested that the boat may have been overloaded, causing it to sink. Despite numerous rumors and theories, including possibilities of voluntary disappearance or foul play, no evidence has emerged to support these claims. The families of Kent Munro, Omar Shearer, and David Madott continue to seek answers regarding their disappearances.
Last Seen: Nov 4, 1994
