Jarhead
Contributor
Mike,
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Philip
You have email!
Philip
Bonne Terre Mine, MO
- Thread starter raviepoo
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Drowning victim was scuba instructor
By TERESA RESSEL\Daily Journal Staff Writer
BONNE TERRE - The identity of a man who drowned this weekend at Bonne Terre Mines has been released.
St. Francois County Coroner James Coplin said 48-year-old Steven Alan Russell of Jacksonville, Fla., died of a pulmonary air embolism late Friday night while scuba diving in one of the water-filled caverns at the mines.
Coplin said an embolism is caused when air gets in the blood stream, causes a blockage and a heart attack.
The coroner's office is still investigating the death. Coplin said they still don't know what caused the embolism. They will be testing Russell's equipment and running some lab tests.
Russell was a scuba diving instructor. He and some other experienced divers had just finished up a class. The divers noticed he was at the bottom of the lake and went down to check on him. Coplin said they found him dead.
"He wasn't in the water very long before they found him," Coplin said.
They attempted to revive him with CPR and he was taken to a local hospital by ambulance. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The Bonne Terre Police Department and fire department were dispatched to the mines to a reported drowning at 11:21 p.m. Friday night. According to the Bonne Terre Mines Web site, a class was being offered that night from 7 to 11 p.m.
Russell had worked in St. Louis at Lambert airport. Coplin said the man commuted back and forth from Jacksonville.
A call to the Bonne Terre Mines was not returned. The Bonne Terre Mines is reportedly the world's largest fresh water diving resort.
Doug Goergens, president of the Bridgeton-based West End Diving, opened the mines to tourists in 1980. They host more than 15,000 divers a year and more than 45,000 tourists a year.
By TERESA RESSEL\Daily Journal Staff Writer
BONNE TERRE - The identity of a man who drowned this weekend at Bonne Terre Mines has been released.
St. Francois County Coroner James Coplin said 48-year-old Steven Alan Russell of Jacksonville, Fla., died of a pulmonary air embolism late Friday night while scuba diving in one of the water-filled caverns at the mines.
Coplin said an embolism is caused when air gets in the blood stream, causes a blockage and a heart attack.
The coroner's office is still investigating the death. Coplin said they still don't know what caused the embolism. They will be testing Russell's equipment and running some lab tests.
Russell was a scuba diving instructor. He and some other experienced divers had just finished up a class. The divers noticed he was at the bottom of the lake and went down to check on him. Coplin said they found him dead.
"He wasn't in the water very long before they found him," Coplin said.
They attempted to revive him with CPR and he was taken to a local hospital by ambulance. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The Bonne Terre Police Department and fire department were dispatched to the mines to a reported drowning at 11:21 p.m. Friday night. According to the Bonne Terre Mines Web site, a class was being offered that night from 7 to 11 p.m.
Russell had worked in St. Louis at Lambert airport. Coplin said the man commuted back and forth from Jacksonville.
A call to the Bonne Terre Mines was not returned. The Bonne Terre Mines is reportedly the world's largest fresh water diving resort.
Doug Goergens, president of the Bridgeton-based West End Diving, opened the mines to tourists in 1980. They host more than 15,000 divers a year and more than 45,000 tourists a year.
Jarhead
Contributor
Thank You DandyDon.
Philip
Philip
nescubasteve
Contributor
Has anyone heard any more about this? My son and I were planning on travelling to Bonne Terre last weekend to do his certification dives, but the timing just didn't work out. Would like to know more details of this situation if anyone has any...
Ok, who's been there before? Does this seem nuts to anyone else? I hope I am wrong, but it looks like they are taking recreational divers with no overhead training into a cave system with NO LIGHTS and 2 safety divers. Mike, I am sure you know the place...is this an accident waiting to happen or do they have their stuff in order?
On the upside, I would love to dive it...the pillar room looks sweet!
From the site:
Dives are conducted in groups of up to 10 divers..Guide Leads..Safety Diver in Rear.
Average Length of dives is 35-45 minutes, Average Depth 40-60 feet
NO LIGHTS OR KNIVES ALLOWED IN MINE
ARRIVE AT BONNE TERRE "OLD MINE DIVE SHOPPE" AT
LEAST 1 1/2 HOURS PRIOR TO TOUR TIME. (LATE ARRIVALS
CANCELLED)-[NON-REFUNDABLE]
REQUIRED EQUIPMENT:
Full wet suit, hood, boots, gloves
Regulator with pressure gauge
Buoyancy compensator
Weight belt & weights
On the upside, I would love to dive it...the pillar room looks sweet!
From the site:
Dives are conducted in groups of up to 10 divers..Guide Leads..Safety Diver in Rear.
Average Length of dives is 35-45 minutes, Average Depth 40-60 feet
NO LIGHTS OR KNIVES ALLOWED IN MINE
ARRIVE AT BONNE TERRE "OLD MINE DIVE SHOPPE" AT
LEAST 1 1/2 HOURS PRIOR TO TOUR TIME. (LATE ARRIVALS
CANCELLED)-[NON-REFUNDABLE]
REQUIRED EQUIPMENT:
Full wet suit, hood, boots, gloves
Regulator with pressure gauge
Buoyancy compensator
Weight belt & weights
That's what I said!! IMO, it seems like a fatality waiting to happen unless I am reading this wrong.Genesis:
I have not been there before but I am planning on going by april. My understanding it that even though it is in a cave there is no real overhead env. Most of the site is surfacable. There are several underwater caves there I think but might be off limits. Most of the site has underwater lights already in place. Here is a link to their website.
A-ha! Ok, that would make sense. It looked like a cave from the pics I saw, but if it is, in fact, not an overhead, then that makes a lot of sense now. Thanks!cmcarver:
It's been a few years but I have dove there many times. The times that I was there they had the place lit up like daylight underwater. Also they had more safety people around than you could shake a stick at. IMHO they were running a great operation. Here is the direct link to their site. Perhaps it will clear a few things up for those that have questions.
http://www.2dive.com/
http://www.2dive.com/
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