Hey Wendy. I can't know for sure either, but I haven't heard this from either the group that's CYAing (USDCT) or the group that goes out of their way to badmouth them (WKPP). Both ends of the spectrum appear to agree he was in the water, so I'd guess that'd be the case.
Following is an article posted by George Irvine on cavers around the time of the incident. He does not dispute the article in any way in his post, only pointing out how Bill Stone originally said it was hypoxia, then, when given the "out" supplied by the initial "natural causes" finding changed his story only to be caught in the lie when it was found that the breathing mixture went hypoxic when the unit's log was dumped (something Stone could, and probably did do initially since Stone designed the thing!)
Published Sunday, July 18, 1999, in the Miami Herald
SUSAN COCKING
Finding out the cause of Henry Kendall's death while diving reminds us of an important lesson:
Safety first, always
The final autopsy report on Nobel Prize-winning physicist Henry Kendall should carry a lifesaving message to all scuba divers -- beginner, sport, tech, or professional: You are never above obeying the basic rules of safe diving.
While diving with a rebreather at Wakulla Springs, Fla., in February, Kendall, 72, died from lack of oxygen to the brain because he failed to turn a knob to connect to an oxygen supply, according to the report issued in May by Tallahassee associate medical examiner Dr. Benjamin Turner.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor's death was ruled an accident, with probable contributing natural causes.
Initially, the Wakulla County Sheriff's Department announced Kendall had died of natural causes -- a hemorrhage in the stomach area. That cause was changed to a probable contributing factor after Turner consulted with Dr. James Caruso, diving medical officer with the U.S. Naval Hospital in Pensacola. Neither pathologist could be sure if the gastric bleeding started before Kendall died or afterward, perhaps during efforts to resuscitate him.
The preliminary finding (that Kendall died of natural causes) ignited a firestorm between rival cave diving groups in February.
Fort Lauderdale's George Irvine, leader of the Woodville Karst Plain Project, accused Wakulla2 -- the cave explorers with whom Kendall was diving -- of using unsafe gear and practicing shoddy safety precautions. Irvine hotly and publicly disputed the medical examiner's findings.
So, why is it important now -- five months later -- to draw the distinction between accidental death and death by natural causes?
It allows all of us who breathe underwater to learn about and, therefore, prevent future diving deaths, whether using rebreathers or standard scuba gear.
Kendall, who shared the 1990 Nobel prize with two other physicists, was a founder of the Union of Concerned Scientists, devoting years to keeping scientific and technological advances safe for humans. Yet in his death, he inexplicably bypassed precautions for using the cutting-edge technology.
According to fellow Wakulla2 divers, Kendall ignored the pre-dive safety checks of his equipment, paid no attention to audio and visual alarms honking and flashing on his rebreather (which his diving companions pointed out to him) and got into the spring alone.
Divers said Kendall wasn't himself that day; they speculate he may not have been feeling well before he donned his Cis-Lunar MK-5 and got into the water.
But Kendall, a lifelong diver who has used rebreathers for decades, said nothing to his companions.
The MK-5, invented by Wakulla2 project leader Bill Stone, recirculates breathing gasses using electronic sensors to add oxygen and remove carbon dioxide. The MK-5 was the gear of choice for the cave explorers because it enabled them to dive as deep as 375 feet and stay down for hours. It emitted no bubbles, a handy feature to avoid dislodging murky silt from cave walls. Kendall, who took underwater photographs of the expedition, was aided by the lack of bubbles.
The MK-5 has multiple backup safety systems to alert a diver to gas-supply or -mixture problems and allow him to bail out. Kendall had been trained extensively in one-on-one sessions with Richard Nordstrom, president of the company that manufactures the unit.
In the water less than 10 minutes, Kendall was found floating unconscious in 4 feet of water by a dive team member. Several Wakulla2 members who are physicians performed CPR while awaiting an ambulance. Kendall was pronounced dead later that day at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.
On the day of the accident, the Wakulla2 team issued a news release stating Kendall did not follow established safety protocols and blacked out because of the improperly positioned oxygen valve. When the sheriff's office later released the preliminary gastric bleeding statement, the Wakulla2 team corrected itself in a second news release: ``This new information leaves no doubt that [Kendall] died from natural causes, and that his unfortunate and untimely death bore no relationship to either the pre-dive procedures that he followed that day or the dive equipment he used.''
Fortunately, Turner turned the case over to dive medicine expert Caruso for a second opinion.
Caruso told Turner in a letter:
``People who dive these specialized rigs tend to be extremely anal in the maintenance and pre/post-dive care of the apparatus. The pre-dive checklist is extensive, and following it meticulously is not only crucial but time-consuming. Despite having documented training and experience with the apparatus, Dr. Kendall had established a pattern of cutting corners in the preparation of his gear. . . . Apparently, in his haste to shoot a few more pictures prior to departing the dive site, Dr. Kendall disregarded the safety procedures that are put in place to prevent mishaps such as this one.''
Bottom line: Whether you are a rocket scientist or a sport diver, the rules of safe diving are the same. That's why it is vital to know the facts behind each accident and fatality, not to be satisfied with facile explanations.
Kendall, who devoted his life to seeking scientific truths, surely would have wanted it that way.
