July 4, 2007.

Hi everyone,

The week I found out about Correy I did a lot of writing. Here’s a short piece from one of my entries...

Correy—along with Sean and Trish—were the first 3 friends I made in Monterey. We were all divers for the Underwater Explorers program at the aq, and were inseparable the summer we spent together. After an attempt at dating (we gave it a shot for a couple of months), we stayed friends. I knew at that time that he was someone I was supposed to keep close. Correy was one of the best divers I’ve known. He was completely dedicated to the sport and profession, and was always careful and smart about his decisions. His dream was to dive for archeological purposes professionally, and I’d rarely met someone his age (then 20) with that kind of directed ambition. He was very much in tune with what he wanted and was willing to work hard to get there. I loved seeing him work with the kids in UE—his enthusiasm for diving was evident in his natural ability to get them in the water and excited about the marine world he cared so much for.

One of my favorite memories of that summer was 4th of July. Correy, Trish, Sean, and I spent the evening on a friend's boat in the Monterey harbor. After taking about an hour to find parking, we spent the rest of the night talking about diving, drinking beer, and watching fireworks over the water. It was a fun night, and even with all the noise and fireworks, I remember the bay looking so peaceful. Since August, I've felt like a piece of our foursome has been missing—Correy always called us the Core Four. I keep looking at these pictures from that night over and over again and just wanted to share them. I miss my friend.

Sameen