800 feet? Or the Moon?

[Rhone Man]

I was reading a pretty harrowing article the other day in a magazine (OK, it was FHM's UK edition, so sue me) about a technical dive in a sink hole in South Africa to recover a body at a depth of about 930 feet, and the article contained a throwaway sentence: "Fewer people have dived recreationally below 800 feet than have set foot on the moon."

I had to say that I thought at the time that was extremely unlikely (as only 11 people have walked on the moon, according to Wikipedia), but equally, there must be damn few people who have ever gone below 800 feet for fun (point of fact, the guy writing the article was the only who survived that expedition, and from his report, that was a pretty damn close thing and only because of superhuman efforts by his surface support divers).

FHM is not what I would normally consider a source for factual research, but the guy certainly wrote as if he knew his diving pretty damn well (I'd post his name, except I can't recall it, and I don't have my copy anymore), and he did a decent job of trying to explain it all to a non-diving audience, so I did wonder if that comment might be correct.

Does anyone know?

 

[deepstops]

Recreationally speaking, I'd bet he's right.
But commercial divers go deeper than that every day.

 

[icestac]

Tehnical diving

~Jeff

 

[Mike Edmonston]

I was reading a pretty harrowing article the other day in a magazine (OK, it was FHM's UK edition, so sue me) about a technical dive in a sink hole in South Africa to recover a body at a depth of about 930 feet, and the article contained a throwaway sentence: "Fewer people have dived recreationally below 800 feet than have set foot on the moon."

I had to say that I thought at the time that was extremely unlikely (as only 11 people have walked on the moon, according to Wikipedia), but equally, there must be damn few people who have ever gone below 800 feet for fun (point of fact, the guy writing the article was the only who survived that expedition, and from his report, that was a pretty damn close thing and only because of superhuman efforts by his surface support divers).

FHM is not what I would normally consider a source for factual research, but the guy certainly wrote as if he knew his diving pretty damn well (I'd post his name, except I can't recall it, and I don't have my copy anymore), and he did a decent job of trying to explain it all to a non-diving audience, so I did wonder if that comment might be correct.

Does anyone know?

I believe that you are referring to David Shaw and Don Shirley who dove in South Africa at Bushman's hole.

Dave Shaw died while recovering the body of another diver that perished there years ago. Both bodies were recovered when they pulled up the line.

Google it for more info.

Safe Diving

 

[Rhone Man]

I believe that you are referring to David Shaw and Don Shirley who dove in South Africa at Bushman's hole.

Dave Shaw died while recovering the body of another diver that perished there years ago. Both bodies were recovered when they pulled up the line.

Google it for more info.

Safe Diving

That's exactly who the article referred to. Thank you. You obviously know the story but I had never heard it before - it was pretty harrowing.

 

[deepstops]

Tehnical diving

~Jeff

If the data is correct and I counted correctly, there's been 13 dives below 800' but some were done by the same diver so the FHM article is correct.

 

[icestac]

I believe that you are referring to David Shaw and Don Shirley who dove in South Africa at Bushman's hole.

Dave Shaw died while recovering the body of another diver that perished there years ago. Both bodies were recovered when they pulled up the line.

Google it for more info.

"Raising the Dead" is a great book on the David Shaw and a compelling read if you find it.

~Jeff

 

[theITdiver]

On a side note, here is a FULL version of the Dave Shaw story

Dave Shaw | Outside Online

This article gives the full details of the dives, including depths, and details about what ultimately took his life.

 

[Walter]

They filmed the process and made it into a documentary.

only 11 people have walked on the moon, according to Wikipedia

Never trust Wikipedia. Each Apollo landing (the only manned moon landings to date) has resulted in two people walking on the moon. Apollo's 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 & 17 landed on the moon for a total of 12 people, they are:

1. Neil Armstrong
2. Buzz Aldrin
3. Charles Conrad, Jr.
4. Alan L. Bean
5. Alan B. Shepard, Jr.
6. Edgar D. Mitchel
7. David R. Scott
8. James B. Irwin
9. John W. Young
10. Charles M. Duke, Jr.
11. Eugene A. Cernan
12. Harrison H. Schmitt

 

[Rhone Man]

According to the list posted by icestac above, only 7 people have recreationally dived below 800 feet recreationally (although some of them more than once):

1. S. Exley
2. J. Bowden
3. N. Gomes
4. J. Bennett
5. G.M. de Oliveira
6. D. Shaw
7. P. Bernabe

So it looks as if Don Shirley's assertion was accurate.

I noticed Don Shirley's name was not on the list. Pretty brave to try and rescue David Shaw having never been to that depth before yourself.