What started out as a normal Thursday, July 28 at the Seagate Wharf ended with a splash.
Three young german tourists, Vanessa Bach, Leonie Arand and Anton Geissmar, had rented a vehicle and ended up losing their one and only key fob. The key fob fell into Hardy Bay, just below the Seagate Wharf. Port Hardy resident Rhonda Hanuse happened to be there fishing for salmon, and she listened to them tell her their story.
After she’d finished fishing for the evening, Hanuse went home and read a post from a fellow Port Hardian that had been posted on Facebook on the ‘Hell Yeah Port Hardy’ site, asking if anyone knew a diver who could assist the tourists, who were still trying to retrieve their key fob from the bottom of the ocean.
“I thought it would’ve been taken care of and the tourists would be assisted with a diver. I drove by later that evening and I let them know,” said Hanuse. “My daughter had an early morning soccer game in Port McNeill on Friday morning, but when we got back into town the tourists were actually in the water with some wet suits, still trying to find their key fob.”
Hanuse then went home and contacted Port Hardy Deputy Fire Chief Brent Borg, who contacted Port Hardy Volunteer Fire Fighter and certified diver, Ron Lines. Lines loaded up his gear and drove down to the dock, only to find that no one was there. Hanuse managed to track down Geissmar and drove him over to the wharf to meet Borg and Lines.
“Ron dove in and was down there for about ten seconds, then he came back up with the key fob in his hand,” said Borg, adding that the three tourists were very appreciative to get their key fob back and continue with their trip.