Cave diver drowns - Jackson Blue Springs, Florida

[PfcAJ]

Doesn't have to be done one day after an accident.

Simply don’t participate if it’s not for you. Participation is a choice. Make yours. Everyone else can make theirs as they feel appropriate.

 

[Biotech Diver]

This helps no one at this time request grace and ask you delete thread

I disagree. You're welcome to not read the thread if it bothers you.

 

[Biotech Diver]

There is a FB DAN memorial post. I will try to link…

It is with heavy hearts that we report the death of DAN medic Ben Strelnick. Ben passed away while cave diving on Friday. He began working in DAN Medical Services in 2021, combining his love of outdoor recreation with his passion for emergency medicine. Ben was a shining light here at DAN and a friend to many. He wrote insightful articles and offered compassion and a friendly voice to those who called the Emergency Hotline. Ben had an adventurous spirit, and in addition to diving loved mountain biking, winter sports, rock climbing, and riding his motorcycle. He will be missed.


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It sounds like Ben lived life to the fullest. I'd trade that and an early death over sitting at home and playing it safe my whole life. RIP, Ben.

 

[Robert H. Diver]

Doesn't have to be done one day after an accident.

What arbitrary number of days should we wait? After NOK are notified? After the funeral? After the official report?

 

[bamafan]

I have been on here in years and will probably regret posting this but one thing that pisses me off about cave diving is the complete hypocrisy from many of the people involved. They preach safety and conservation but then get offended when it's pointed out they are just as bad as anyone else. I don't dive a rebreather as I don't think it would make my dives safer. I don't dive deep caves much. I much prefer to do 3-4 hours of penetration instead of 45 minutes then 2 hours of deco. As rebreathers have become even more common I see people buying them that don't have any need for them. I have heard shop owners pushing them to divers who are not much past ow. Many people think they are cool or they like playing with gear. Each to their own. But the Sidewinder is being used a lot with lp50's. Sure jacked up they are close to 80 cft but over breathe a scrubber and have a co2 hit. 140 cft won't get you far. I don't know what was used in this case but I would guess a Sidewinder with lp50's. This seems to be a setup that is being pushed. I think that the industry needs to really look at what people are pushing and if it makes sense for the diver or is it being done just to make a buck. I have heard shop owners say I don't care as long as they have a fat wallet. I somehow bet this applies in this case. I am of the opinion if you don't need it for the dive or it doesn't make the dive safer then why bring it. As someone who has been solo in JB2 on OC I can tell you that you don't need a rebreather to dive the Queen's Bypass and you are just complicating the dive if you take one. Anyway it's a shame that someone had to die. I lost my wife a year ago on Memorial Day weekend in a plane crash. I saw her burn to death. She was my favorite cave diving buddy. I know what the buddy is going through. People really need to quit pushing crap to people who aren't anywhere near the level of needing it.

 

[tursiops]

I lost my wife a year ago on Memorial Day weekend in a plane crash. I saw her burn to death. She was my favorite cave diving buddy.

Sorry, man.

 

[cerich]

I have been on here in years and will probably regret posting this but one thing that pisses me off about cave diving is the complete hypocrisy from many of the people involved. They preach safety and conservation but then get offended when it's pointed out they are just as bad as anyone else. I don't dive a rebreather as I don't think it would make my dives safer. I don't dive deep caves much. I much prefer to do 3-4 hours of penetration instead of 45 minutes then 2 hours of deco. As rebreathers have become even more common I see people buying them that don't have any need for them. I have heard shop owners pushing them to divers who are not much past ow. Many people think they are cool or they like playing with gear. Each to their own. But the Sidewinder is being used a lot with lp50's. Sure jacked up they are close to 80 cft but over breathe a scrubber and have a co2 hit. 140 cft won't get you far. I don't know what was used in this case but I would guess a Sidewinder with lp50's. This seems to be a setup that is being pushed. I think that the industry needs to really look at what people are pushing and if it makes sense for the diver or is it being done just to make a buck. I have heard shop owners say I don't care as long as they have a fat wallet. I somehow bet this applies in this case. I am of the opinion if you don't need it for the dive or it doesn't make the dive safer then why bring it. As someone who has been solo in JB2 on OC I can tell you that you don't need a rebreather to dive the Queen's Bypass and you are just complicating the dive if you take one. Anyway it's a shame that someone had to die. I lost my wife a year ago on Memorial Day weekend in a plane crash. I saw her burn to death. She was my favorite cave diving buddy. I know what the buddy is going through. People really need to quit pushing crap to people who aren't anywhere near the level of needing it.

85's actually on dive in question .
Regardless, I dive my Sidewinder with either 50's or 85's + stages depending on planned dive and bailout gas required.

The gas required for a CO2 hit on BO is in reality not something enough plan for realistically in CCR diving on the whole.

 

[berndo]

What arbitrary number of days should we wait? After NOK are notified? After the funeral? After the official report?

If you don't see how it's disrespectful to make winnie the pooh jokes about somebody that died a day or a couple of days before, there is nothing I can tell you.

 

[bamafan]

Chris, from what I have seen the main reason people justify going to the Sidewinder is that they don't need stages. I have seen people at the stroke arrow in JB with lp50's and no stages. I have had people tell me that if they have to take stages then why bother with the rebreather. As someone who has had a few close calls such as being on the backside of a nasty restriction with no line because my "buddy" cut the wrong line. Knowing that I had multiple stages and lp 120's to get me out was a calming thought. If your breather goes tits up. You are going to be stressed. Having to worry about bailout adds to that stress. But hey it's all good because someone made a $$ selling some cool gear to someone who just wanted to be like the cool kids and carry less bailout. It makes absolutely no sense to me and continuing to condone this mindset is the very definition of negligence. Instructors who preach safety then brag about doing dives way over the scrubber limit, not carrying proper bailout etc should be ostracized. I am suprised there haven't been more fatalities on the Sidewinder / rebreathers because of the lack of common sense.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

If you don't see how it's disrespectful to make winnie the pooh jokes about somebody that died a day or a couple of days before, there is nothing I can tell you.

In all fairness to @Robert H. Diver, all the posts linked up this little chain reference the exchange of information. None of them were anywhere close to the Winnie reference, so he had no reason to think along those lines in terms of being respectful, or disrespectful.

Erik