2 Finnish divers dead, 3 injured in Plurdalen / Norway

[Storker]

Isn't it possible that the depth at which the bodies were recovered is not the depth at which the dive took place?

Yes, that's possible. It's also possible that the deceased divers had planned to go to those depths. Plura is still not fully explored (and might never be, as it's a huge cave system on the outskirts of civilization, and the Nordic cave diver community is rather small), and there's been some conflict between Norwegian and Finnish teams about the "right" to explore the system.

I hope we'll learn more about the accident when the three survivors are fit to be interviewed by the police

BTW, there's a discussion around the conflict in the comments section below this Finnish video of a previous dive to 132m

Interview with a guy who apparently knew the dead divers: http://translate.google.com/transla...-forferdelig-a-forlate-sine-venner-1.11527917

Map of the Plura system, as of 2012, by a Finnish explorer team: http://www.sukellusluola.com/Plura_map_2012.jpg

 

[DarkAbyss]

Sad, indeed

 

[TONY CHANEY]

Sad news and thanks for the links and update Storker.

 

[darushin]

Wow they were a good ways back. This looks like they were trying to push into unexplored areas. If that map is accurate, this is looking more like an expedition. I wonder what kind of surface support they had.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

[Storker]

Wow they were a good ways back. This looks like they were trying to push into unexplored areas. If that map is accurate, this is looking more like an expedition.

[speculation mode]
Considering that the Finnish guy who was interviewed and knew the deceased has been actively exploring the cave system, and also the time of the year, I think it's probable that the deceased were on a serious exploration expedition. Videos from Plura, by the interviewee
[/speculation mode]

It'll probably take a long time to recover the bodies, if they're recovered at all. The Norwegian who died in Plura in 2006 was found at 75m, and it took about two weeks to recover the body.

The three survivors seem to have suffered only minor injury. They got a chamber ride in Tromsø and apparently only one of them was bent:

All three divers had ascended faster than planned and were therefore given a chamber treatment, [doctor Lars-Jøran] Andersson [at Tromsø University hospital] says.

One of the three divers showed symptoms of mild DCS [...] They were given a standard chamber treatment, which means they spent six hours in the chamber.

Google Translate

IIRC, a six-hour ride is the standard scheme for mild DCS according to the Norwegian Navy's standards (Table 6).

 

[Piipin]

http://ngdf.no/?p=416



Lähetetty minun GT-I9100 laitteesta Tapatalkilla

---------- Post added February 9th, 2014 at 06:49 AM ----------

http://ngdf.no/?p=416

 

[Storker]

Press release from the Norwegian Cave Diving Association:

The Norwegian Cave Diving Association (NGDF) can confirm that there has been an accident in Plura in Mo i Rana, Norway, with a tragic outcome late Thursday night. According to the police the people involved were supposedly Finnish cave divers. Our thoughts go out to the relatives and friends of the deceased.

[...]

The circumstances surrounding the accident are unclear, and any attempt to explain what may have happened is therefore speculation.

If you require further information please contact the Head of the Association Morten Dyrstad +47 916 35 180.

Norsk Grottedykkerforbund: Forbund for sikker grottedykking i Norge

 

[Zuni]

The 3 survivors have given a detailed report of the incident to the diving authorities (In Finnish). Main points in brief:

- 2 teams. First team had two divers (numbered 1 and 2), Second team had three divers (3,4,5).
- Second team went in 2 hours after the first team
- The divers had gone through the bailout plan
- They used rebreathers
- They carried along extra rebreathers as well as extra open circuit gas
- The plan was to dive through the cave and meet at the other side
- Deepest point 129 meters

Early dive for team one goes ok, until diver number 2 from the first team gets stuck in a tight spot after the deepest point (at 110 meters this point). Diver 1 (who already went through said spot) tries to help, but he cannot get out. Simultaneously his rebreather starts malfunctioning. Despite trying to help in any way he can, diver 1 has to witness diver 2 perish.

Diver 1 goes up and out the other side. Intended dive length of 5 hours turns to 8, and he has to skip 45 mins of the 6 meter deco, but gets no dcs symptoms.
(during deco at 12 meters he meets diver 3 from second team)

Second team early dive goes well also until they come to the tight spot where they find diver 2 from the first team dead, still stuck and blocking further passage.

After a failed attempt to move the body out of the spot, diver 3 from second team removes gear, pushes them through the spot and manages to move through it. Simultaneously, without diver 3's knowledge, diver 4 has run into problems with his rebreather on the other side of the tight spot. Diver 4 has switched to open gas, but despite help from diver 5, he dies. Diver 3, on the other side of the tight spot, assumes that divers 4 and 5 turned back, and moves on, and eventually meets diver 1 at deco. Diver 3 has to skip 80 minutes of deco at 6 meters (also an 8 hour dive), and gets mild dcs symptoms (joint pain).

Diver 5 turns around after diver 4 dies, has more problems with his equipment and dive time becomes over 11 hours. He has to skip 90 minutes of the 6 meter deco, but has no sympotms.

---

So from the report it seems that the deaths were not strictly related. Both had rebreather malfunctions.

---------- Post added February 10th, 2014 at 06:24 PM ----------

Link to the report (In Finnish):
Sukeltajaliitto ry - Näytä uutinen

Google translated to english:
Google-kääntäjä

 

[Redshift]

More news have come out.
Heard the explanation from a Finn and used google translate so not everything may be 100% correct.

There were two teams, T1 with 2 divers went in the water first. Plan was max depth 129m and 5h time.
After the deepest part, D2 got stuck in a restriction. During the efforts to get free, there appears to have been a problem with the rebreather and he died. D1 starts to exit. Meets T2, with 3 divers, who was on the way in. T2 proceeds towards the body of D2.
D1 has extended too much his dive time and is forced to cut 45' of his deco.
T2 reaches D2 and D3 tries to free him. He is unable to do so and eventually even removes part of his own equipment and manages to pass the restriction.
Meanwhile D4 has rebreather problems, goes to OC, but ends up also dying.
D5 is not able to communicate with D3 through the restriction.
D3 thinks D4 and D5 have gone back. He proceeds and goes towards the surface. He arrives there and meets D1. D3 is forced to cut 80min of his deco time.
D5 also goes back. Arrives last and cuts 90min of his deco.
D3 has mild joint pain. Other two divers without symptoms. All divers go in the pot.

Reading this it appears there were two ways out from that point, maybe the slowest being taking the same route back, as D5 had to do.

What exactly broke on D2's and D4's equipments was not told.

 

[Storker]

Thanks for the info. Link? Or personal communication?

Just FTR, on the Norwegian diving discussion forums, we're asked to be careful about publishing some facts until the whole accident has been properly investigated and the full story can be told. National media have already started to call Plura the "death cave", and the diving community is worried about a permanent ban on diving there. OTOH, I'm not extremely worried that Norwegian tabloid media will be able to get their "facts" from a discussion on a predominantly American discussion forum...