Diver fatality in local Cave

[rednose83]

A man lost his life yesterday in a local cave. The body was recovered today.

Here's the news article: Kentucky man's body recovered after Weeki Wachee cave diving accident - St. Petersburg Times

Here's the cave: Eagle's Nest

My condolences to the family of the deceased.

[navyhmc]

Definitely sad news...prayers to family and friends.

ETA: Not wild about the slant that the paper put on the article...

[Scuba Pete]

There is a discussion about this over at the cave divers forum. A truly sad event. The article was not written correctly first, they stated that they were 500' deep which the nest does not get that deep. My condolences to all involved. It is never a good thing when someone dies in a cave, it affects a lot of people not just your family.

[Vlane]

Very sad news, for his family and dive buddy.

Does anyone know how experienced these men were with caves? I can't imagine someone with no cave experience trying to tackle a cave like this for their first cave.

[snagel]

Very sad. I don't think they were saying he was 500 feet deep; but rather, he was 500 feet inside the cave (270' deep).

It is easy for us to critique all this and comment about the need for training and certifications. But, a brother diver died and for that we need to bow our heads and give respect.

With a heavy heart I give my condolences to the family and friends.

Snagel

[Desert_Diver]

Originally Posted by Vlane

Very sad news, for his family and dive buddy.

Does anyone know how experienced these men were with caves? I can't imagine someone with no cave experience trying to tackle a cave like this for their first cave.

The word is that they were NOT cave certified. They had a fair amount of experience on rebreathers and, surprisingly, the symptoms suggest that rebreathers were the problem.

Art

[rednose83]

Originally Posted by Vlane

Very sad news, for his family and dive buddy.

Does anyone know how experienced these men were with caves? I can't imagine someone with no cave experience trying to tackle a cave like this for their first cave.

Local news is reporting that the divers were not cave certified but had experience with rebreathers.

The articles also now say the men penetrated the cave 500' to a depth of 270 ft and were exiting when the incident occurred.

[TommyB]

Originally Posted by Desert_Diver

The word is that they were NOT cave certified. They had a fair amount of experience on rebreathers and, surprisingly, the symptoms suggest that rebreathers were the problem.

Art

2 weeks on breathers is my understanding.
Zero cave training.
They were advanced wreck divers, but no clue what made them think they were ready to dive the "Mount Everest" / "Andria Doria" of cave diving with no cave diving training is just beyond me.
Advanced Wreck Divers!-- New Horizons Diving