Troubled waters

It was 8:30 a.m.  They’d been in the water for 18 and a half hours, and for the first time, Ally and Rich were sure they were going to survive.

Ally Dalton: Oh my God, they've seen us, they've seen us. We're going to be OK. And I'm blowing kisses at him because I'm just so, I'm saying "Thank you, thank you."

Rich Neely: And all the time I've got the sausage in the air. And as they're spinning, we're spinning around with them.

Matt Lauer: You don't want to lose eye contact?

Rich Neely: No, yeah. (laughter)

Matt Lauer: Was there any discussion about who would get in that helicopter first?

Rich Neely: No. It's an unspoken rule.

Matt Lauer: Yeah, right.

Ally Dalton: When the rescue helicopter came and opened up the door, I immediately had my dive knife, cutting the cord.  (laughter)

Matt Lauer: It's been nice - enjoy your day!

But just as the chopper was preparing to winch Ally out of the ocean, something ominous appeared in the water.

Patrick Martin: I was at the door when we saw the snake. And I think I just froze.

Matt Lauer: It was a sea snake - a creature with venom so potent it can cause paralysis, and even death.

John Chate: Quite a large sea snake made a beeline straight for her. And I thought "Oh no, here we go. We’re going to have some medical complications to this rescue."

Matt Lauer: Here you've survived the elements, the waves, the hunger, the thirst, everything, and here comes one of these poisonous snakes.

Ally Dalton: He actually lifted his head right into my face. The helicopter actually lifted back up, lifted away from us because it saw the snake. Fortunately, it slithered away. Thankfully, because they are incredibly poisonous.

Matt Lauer: With the snake out of sight, Patrick Martin was lowered down to pluck ally to safety.

Patrick Martin: Halfway down, I could see a big, beaming smile on Ally's face. As I got closer to her in the water, and put the rescue strap around her, she was just like "I feel like giving you a big kiss right now."

On board the Pacific Star, word that Ally and Rich were still alive prompted resounding cheers.

Mark Douthwaite: There was a shout from Kylie because he was on the radio. And we just heard him scream.

Rachel Hauser: We felt so relieved and so happy for them.

Matt Lauer: By 9 a.m. Saturday, Ally and Rich's 19 hours of watery hell were officially over. They had drifted nine miles from the lagoon where they set out for their dive, and now, their rescuers marveled at their luck.

Patrick Martin: Two divers were found in - literally, in the middle of nowhere. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

Just as amazing: The couple needed only brief treatment for exhaustion and dehydration. They had survived their ocean drama remarkably well.

The miraculous story circulated quickly, only to take a rapid turn. The pair accused the boat crew of negligence, saying it took too long to launch a search. OzSail, the company that charters Pacific Star, shot back, placing the blame squarely on Ally and Rich.

Matt Lauer: They go through a long laundry list in their press release. They say "Allyson and Richard did not remain on the dive site." They say "Allyson and Richard did not follow the clear instructions of the dive instructor."

Ally Dalton: That's absolutely false.

Rich Neely: Absolute rubbish.

Ally Dalton: It's unbelievable that they would have the audacity to say that.

Rich Neely: I followed the instructions of the tour leader and was expected to be picked up, as promised, by the deckhand. And we stuck within the time limits.

Ally Dalton: It was their responsibility to make sure that they were looking out for us, and they retrieved us. Even, let's just say, hypothetically, we had strayed out of the dive site. It doesn't matter. You still retrieve your divers. You don't leave them and forget them and have them drift at sea for 19 hours.

OzSail declined Dateline's request for an interview, but in its press release, says that contrary to what Ally and Rich say, the dive instructor "physically pointed to the perimeter of the lagoon" and told them "not to leave" it. Other divers on the boat told us the briefings they received made that very clear.

OzSail goes on to say the Pacific Star instigated a "full and proper search" -- and, "Emergency services were alerted within 1 hour."

Meanwhile, as rumors swirl about million-dollar payouts for the story, headlines have floated another possibility: Was it all staged?

Matt Lauer: This suggestion, Rich and Ally, that this is a hoax.

Ally and Rich Neely:  Yeah.

Matt Lauer: That you two, maybe you, after seeing "Open Water" the movie decided "Let's go live it. Let's go recreate the scenario, but let's take some precautions along the way as to not really put our lives in danger."  For example there are people who said you went out there with a water bottle, which is unusual for a dive like this. Did you take water out there with you?

Rich Neely: No.

Ally: Absolutely not.

Rich Neely: I've never taken a bottle of water on a dive in my life.

Matt Lauer: And also they talk about the thickness of these wetsuits. You had a 7 millimeter dive suit on, you had a 5 millimeter suit on. They say that shows that they were preparing for a long ordeal in the water.

Rich Neely: Mmm. Yeah.

Ally Dalton: We always dive with these wetsuits. and we dive with these wetsuits in 81 degree water in Thailand.

There were even reports that the couple was toting a sophisticated shark-repellant device.  But at a party to thank their rescuers, Ally and Rich angrily denounced all the rumors, denying that they were diving for gold, and stressing they have not made millions from TV interviews or movie deals.

Ally Dalton: To even insinuate that we would ever plan something like this is beyond us. 

Rich Neely: We don't have a story. We have the truth. We have not told any lies and we don't have to remember any lies.

The persistent doubts have tested a romance that isn't yet a year old, though Ally and Rich are finding refuge in the deep love kindled by their ordeal.

Matt Lauer: You must have learned a lot about Rich during those 19 hours?

Ally Dalton: Oh wow. I already thought he was amazing before, but his strength and his determination and his presence of mind to do things like dropping the tanks and the weight belts and tying us together. Phenomenal.

Matt Lauer: What you'd learn about Ally?

Rich Neely: That she's very sensitive. That when she needs help, she realizes it and accepts it. And that when I need help, even when she's at the lowest point probably of her life, she's there for me.

Matt Lauer: Keep holding hands.

Ally Dalton: Yeah. We haven't let go very much.

Ally Dalton has been diagnosed with acute stress disorder following her ordeal at sea. She and Rich Neeley have spoken to lawyers and are considering a lawsuit against the dive company.

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