Bill Schmoldt

To The Dive Community;
As you probably know by now my friend Bill Schmoldt died Sunday Aug 4th at approx. 7 PM at our lady of Fatima hospital recompression facility. I will give you just a few brief facts. I WILL NOT be answering any questions.

Bill was diving the Doria on open circuit scuba, using Trimix and Nitrox for decompression. Basically the standard flavors for this dive. He omitted some or all ?? Of his decompression & came to the surface near the boat. He was brought to the boat, stripped of his gear & suit. He was immediately put on 100 % O2 and made as comfortable as possible. We had a CG. helicopter on site in about an hour. Bill was taken off the boat along with the O2 bottle & flown into R.I. He was taken to the chamber facility as quickly as possible.

The Chamber personnel then took over his care. Bill died of a heart attack while undergoing recompression therapy. I feel confident that the chamber personnel did all that was possible to save him.

Bill was a good man & a great friend. He represented the best in many aspects of diving. He was always willing to share anything he had, his money, his home, his food, his favorite lobster wrecks, the best spot for digging. He believed in the sharing of information to help everyone have a better diving experience. He knew that the "diving experience" did not begin & end at the waters edge. It was the whole enchilada from the planning & bagels before the dive, to the photos and dinner stop on the way home. Thru his dive shop in Brielle, he united many divers and boats to help give both new & experienced divers alike, the best diving "experience" possible. His shop was not just a retail store, but second home for many dives. Some to tell their stories, some to hear them. There was always a pot of coffee on, an empty cup, and a seat for you at the counter. Bill's Maritime book center, gave the divers imagination a place to search for grand adventures, while the dive shop provided the tools for the job. Many great dive trips started in his store at six AM with fills and coffee, to end up there at the end of the day, with bragging & beers.

After Bill left the retail end, he kept active in the dive community, doing lectures, slide shows, and maritime book sales. Bill of course was an active diver. He dove all over the world, but preferred diving in his own back yard. He was always increasing his #s book with constant research. Bill loved lobstering, but artifact collection was his passion. Bill would find a spot & dig for an hour, like a badger. No piece of brass was too small, or insignificant. He infused many other divers including myself, with his enthusiasm. Bill was a great asset to the world at large, and the diving community in particular. He will be sorely missed by us all.

Bill had dove the Doria with me last year. In his journal, he wrote, "Diving the Doria, is it worth it ??" . While Bill never answered that question, maybe I can. The price that Bill payed, was way too high. The cost is shared by us all.

Captain Zero