2 Finnish divers dead, 3 injured in Plurdalen / Norway

[gianaameri]

The earlier posted "Diving Project Plurdalen 2013" report by Mr. Sami Paakkarinen includes a map at the very end of the report. IF you combine this report with the description of the fatal dive Feb2014, you might get the following interpretation of events:

1) In February 2014, two teams commenced their dives at the Plura entrance. First team consisting of divers 1 and 2. Second team of diver 3, 4 and 5. The teams had rebreathers, bailout rebreathers, bailout gas and DPVs. Team 2 followed team 1 with an interval of about 2 hours. [The divers were experienced cave divers.]

2) The dive begins with a first sump of max 34m depth and 450m length.

3) Then there is a air chamber (=Luft kammeret in Norwegian) that is 250 long. [According to the report, the habitat of the 2013 team is said to be located over 500m from entrance. Based on the distance, this might be at the first sump side of the air chamber. The reports do not include information whether this habitat was left behind or not.]

4) After the air chamber, the dive continues in a second sump that extends 1.4 km from the Plura entrance and max 135m depth. Below 100 depth the tunnel gets smaller and there is a restriction at 125m [not to be confused with the fatal restriction]

5) This second sump was connected by the 2013 team to the Steinugleflåget cave system at 130m depth. [According to the 2013 map this 130m deep section seems not much longer than 100m. It is not evident whether this connection is at the end of the 2nd sump or already earlier].

6) After this deep section the first (Feb2014) team ascends and Diver 2 gets stuck in a restriction at about 110m whilst Diver 1 has already passed the restriction. Additionally, Diver 2 faces problems with his RB and eventually dies. [One can only speculate of the possible physical damage or fault of the RB of Diver 2 and whether the stress levels affected breathing.] After unsuccessful rescue attempts and the fatality, Diver 1 continues the traverse towards the near Steinugleflåget exit.

7) The second (Feb2014) team reaches this same fatal restriction during their ascend after the deep section.

8) Diver 3 tries to free [the already dead] Diver 2. Then Diver 3 removes his own equipment in order to succesfully pass the restriction.

9) The remainder of the traverse for Divers 1 and 3 has a distance of couple of hundreds of meters and they see each other in the water whilst decompressing.

10 Finally at the Steinugleflåget exit there is a dry cave section that is 300m long and rises steeply up 100m from water level.

11) Meanwhile, on the deep side of the fatal restriction, Diver 4 faces difficulties with his rebreather and dies despite bailout to oc and help from Diver 5. [One can only speculate about the mental stress of seeing the exit blocked close to the end of a long dive, plus the stuck diver, and, whether this would result in overbreathing the RB and a CO2 hit.]

12) After unsuccessful communication with Diver 3, Diver 5 decides to return back the same, much longer, route which increases his deco obligations. I.e. he returns via the 130m deep section in the Plura 2nd sump, the air chamber and the Plura 1st sump. At some point his DPV fails. [We, Scubaboard readers, do not know whether Diver 5 was able to use the habitat of the 2013 team - was it left there?] Diver 5 exits succesfully at the Plura entrance after having cut short some of his deco.

N.B. The above is a none-official summary of the two reports alone without any further references.

You can add that according to the last Rick Stanton recovery at Plura, my understanding is that the recovery Team (i.e. Rick) de-kitted in the Luft Kammeret to rest (so there appears to be dry section).

However, what is not clear to me is if in order to pass the Luft kammeret a diver needs a. to exit the water and walk/climb/crawl... across it or b. simply swim through/along it (either at the surface or just below).

If the former (exiting the water and walking across the Luft kammeret), that adds to the complexity and risk of this dive.

 

[gobfish1]

You can add that according to the last Rick Stanton recovery at Plura, my understanding is that the recovery Team (i.e. Rick) de-kitted in the Luft Kammeret to rest (so there appears to be dry section).

However, what is not clear to me is if in order to pass the Luft kammeret a diver needs a. to exit the water and walk/climb/crawl... across it or b. simply swim through/along it (either at the surface or just below).

If the former (exiting the water and walking across the Luft kammeret), that adds to the complexity and risk of this dive.

if you look at the vid link , you will see a profile at the end of the vid , looks like its a dpv as shows 5mins to do 250m then 15mins 34m swim out , i think ,

like i said b4 , id be taking a rest at this point in the dive , and that,s why we see 5hr dive plan 5hr is not the main dive , main dive is around 220min
back at 6m at 135ish just haviing a stab at the numbers , better than putting up silly 5hr at 130m dives times , dont you think ,

 

[gianaameri]

if you look at the vid link , you will see a profile at the end of the vid , looks like its a dpv as shows 5mins to do 250m then 15mins 34m swim out , i think ,

like i said b4 , id be taking a rest at this point in the dive , and that why we see 5hr dive plan 5hr is not the main dive , main dive is around 220min
back at 6m at 135ish just haviing a stab at the numbers , better than putting up silly 5hr at 130m dives , dont you think ,

It is really not a good idea to de-kit and exit in a dry-section if it can be avoided. Even crossing a dry-section of a sump adds a lot of risk (i.e. damage to equipment and self in an environment where you are blocked by water at both ends).

Now, Rick Stanton had just carried a body from deep in the cave to near the Luft Kamerette, so that is different from doing a traverse/ordinary dive...

I would not exit the water in a cave unless I had to. Bear in mind as well that if the environment is respirable (no hydrogen sulfide...), generally CO2 levels will be quite high in a dry section (above 2% CO2). No idea if the Luft Kamerette is naturally ventilated to the outside or the air quality in it (another fact to gather from those with local knowledge).

Just because you have a dry-chamber, you can't assume it is safer to rest in it.

 

[gobfish1]

It is really not a good idea to de-kit and exit in a dry-section if it can be avoided. Even crossing a dry-section of a sump adds a lot of risk (i.e. damage to equipment and self in an environment where you are blocked by water at both ends).

Now, Rick Stanton had just carried a body from deep in the cave to near the Luft Kamerette, so that is different from doing a traverse/ordinary dive...

I would not exit the water in a cave unless I had to. Bear in mind as well that if the environment is respirable (no hydrogen sulfide...), generally CO2 levels will be quite high in a dry section (above 2% CO2). No idea if the Luft Kamerette is naturally ventilated to the outside or the air quality in it (another fact to gather from those with local knowledge).

yes humping kit over 250m dry would i think take more than 5min , thats why i think you can dvp it , as for rest , you dont need to breath the air in the pocket two get some rest , . just saying like ,

ps the vid give you a good Idea of speed of travel ,

 

[gianaameri]

yes humping kit over 250m dry would i think take more than 5min , thats why i think you can dvp it , as for rest , you dont need to breath the air in the pocket two get some rest , . just saying like ,

ps the vid give you a good Idea of speed of travel ,

Then it is the same rest you can get anywhere in the water at 4C (of course it is shallower) and if you don't leave the rebreather loop from a point of view of scrubber duration it is to be treated as a 5 hr. continuous dive 129 m., 4C.

The Luft Kamerette is inconsequential to the discussion if it can be dived/DPVed (it is part of the dive)... except that if it is respirable of course as a contingency it represents a possible safe-haven and escape from immersion in cold water (very very nice to have).

 

[gobfish1]

Then it is the same rest you can get anywhere in the water at 4C (of course it is shallower) and if you don't leave the loop from a point of view of scrubber duration it is to be treated as a 5 hr. continuous dive 129 m., 4C.

The Luft Kamerette is inconsequential to the discussion if it can be dived/DPVed... except that if it is respirable of course as a contingency it represents a possible safe-haven and escape from immersion in cold water (nice to have).

well im not a cave diver but id be getting my **** sorted at that point , be4 i went for the mian course , mybe drop a bit of kit for the what ifs .
as for the 4C , Id say the guys know better than you or i about cold water diving , im betting they have done a few dives in ojamo mine , so id think they have a bit more info than we do,

you seem set to look at the dive as 5hr@129, so not much more to say ,

 

[gianaameri]

well im not a cave diver but id be getting my **** sorted at that point , be4 i went for the mian course , mybe drop a bit of kit for the what ifs .
as for the 4C , Id say the guys know better thay you or i about cold water diving , im betting they have done a few dives in ojamo mine , so id think they have a bit more info than we do,

you seem set to look at the dive as 5hr@129, so not much more to say ,

5 hr., 129 m., 4C - that is what we know was planned.

The average depth could be posted here by people with local knowledge from their dive computer (for a typical traverse if there is such a thing) or we need a map cartography (which I am sure the local cave group and Cave Federacion has, but it is unlikely to be posted on the net in any meaningful detail for the purpose).

Fact is, if the scrubber was rated by QinetiQ as a "3 hour" scrubber using their 16 meter average depth simulated dive methodology, doing this dive with that scrubber would have blown every conceivable tested parameter/result.

Without a habitat even the Meg ISC Apecs 2.7 with 8 lbs. Radial (a close copy of the Cis scrubber and best performing scrubber to date) would not have cut it for this dive.

If the water temperature was 20C, different opinion and different story (that is excluding WOB considerations in a cave at 129 m.), but it was 4C .

My point is the divers were great divers, but the equipment was unsuitable for the dive (hence the outcome).

 

[gobfish1]

5 hr., 129 m., 4C - that is what we know was planned.

The average depth could be posted here by people with local knowledge from their dive computer (for a typical traverse if there is such a thing) or we need a map cartography (which I am sure the local cave group and Cave Federacion has, but it is unlikely to be posted on the net in any meaningful detail for the purpose).

Fact is, if the scrubber was rated by QinetiQ as a "3 hour" scrubber using their 16 meter average depth simulated dive methodology, doing this dive with that scrubber would have blown every conceivable tested parameter.

Without a habitat even the Meg ISC Apecs 2.7 with 8 lbs. Radial (a close copy of the Cis scrubber and best performing scrubber to date) would not have cut it for this dive.

If the water temperature was 20C, different opinion and different story (that is excluding WOB considerations in a cave at 129 m.), but it was 4C .

My point is the divers were great divers, but the equipment was unsuitable for the dive (hence the outcome).

well you have your thinking and i have mine ,
diver no5 had seen one buddy dead whatched a nother passaway , swam the 130m twice and got him self back to the sump / rest spot ,
what do you think his breathing rate was , so my thinking will never be the same as your good self ,

think im about done , cant see this moving on , just round and round ,

think ill nip over the pond and give brad a poke , as he,s running with the same CE $hite ,

good luck to you sir ,

 

[Wookie]

I have a friend who makes 11 lb cans to fit the stock Meg 8 lb scrubber canister. Makes Leon furious. Point is, lots of folks make lots of modifications. Then there was the guy with the sidemount Optima.....

 

[gianaameri]

well you have your thinking and i have mine ,
diver no5 had seen one buddy dead whatched a nother passaway , swam the 130m twice and got him self back to the sump / rest spot ,
what do you think his breathing rate was , so my thinking will never be the same as your good self ,

think im about done , cant see this moving on , just round and round ,

I think they were relaxed and calm with no fear of death (other than for those who died and may have had a CO2 problem at depth due to the limitation of the equipment which they used and their unique personal circumstances/situation in that dive).

The survivors may comment one day what it felt like (it would be interesting to read it here or elsewhere), but from personal experience I can tell you that a caver may tend to externalise the situation (as if it was someone else living it, not them) and get on with it with some interest and curiosity as to what will be the outcome having reverted to his training/instinct/muscle memory.

People who plan and carry out this type of diving are different from an untrained cave diver who is instead likely to panic very easily in a cave environment at the first mishap.