Deep water diver finds skeleton of fellow diver

[SA-Diver]

Deon was using a drysuit with a considerable amount of equipment for his original deep dive. Although he would only be a skeleton, the equipment would have kept everything pretty much together.

Police divers recovered both bodies while recovering the remaining equipment from Bushmansgat.


Story from news24.com

"Johannesburg - Police say it seems as if drowned Australian diver Dave Shaw's equipment got entangled with the diving gear of Deon Dreyer, whose body he was trying to recover from the Boesmansgat freshwater cave.

Dreyer died about ten years ago after blacking out.

His remains had been lying at a depth of 270m at the bottom of Boesmansgat - the world's third largest fresh-water cave.

Shaw went missing while trying to recover Dreyer's body.

Police spokesperson Ernst Strydom said on Wednesday night that the bodies had been brought to the surface shortly after 17:00.

"Police divers, assisted by technical divers, started recovering the ropes and other equipment from the water this morning when they saw Dave Shaw and Deon Dreyer's bodies at the cliff beneath the water."

Strydom said the divers were about 20 to 25m deep when they saw the bodies.

There is a possibility that the bodies floated up when the divers pulled up the ropes used during the fatal dive.

Strydom said it appeared that Shaw's equipment got entangled with Dreyer's diving gear.

Strydom said the gear from both bodies were tangled together when they surfaced.

"The ropes and equipment got entangled in one coincidental loop."

Strydom said an post mortem would be conducted on both bodies as part of the legal process.

"Thereafter arrangements will be made for the bodies to be returned to their families."

Edited by Elmarie Jack"

 

[scubapolly]

Looks like Don Shirley, one of the other divers involved in the recovery also landed in a recompression chamber. Talking about a recovery gone wrong.

I know we all like to think that no one would leave a body, but going to 270 meters on such a recovery operation is just about certain suicide. The article even states the dive team had agreed that if a diver went missing during the recovery no one would search for him. Seems quite foolish that they would risk their lives to recover a body, but would make no effort for a possible rescue. Kind of a case of priorities out of line.

Polly

 

[lostinspace]

I agree.

What a sad story.

 

[nshon]

Same story here http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1439811,00.html

 

[sciencediver1]

Same story here http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1439811,00.html

I am a Paramedic and technical diver. When talking about the condition of the remains, recall that this was freash water and in a cave where there are very few organisms or feeders. At 270 meters of depth or 891ffw (insane in my humble opinion)the temperature would be quite cold I would guess. Kept cold, and away from biologicals and oxygen, the body may have been very well preserved even out 10 years. There are cases of sopafaction in bodies immersed in cold fresh waters of the Great Lakes shipwrecks where the body shows very little decomposition beyond discoloration to a white soap-like color. I know of one wreck where the ship's engineer gets regular visits from technical divers, and he is well preserved due to the listed factors. I am unsure why he was left on the wreck so long, his family's wish I expect. Conversely, when I dove the Aikoku Maru in Truk Lagoon, we swam around the large engine room looking at several, perhaps as many as 20 fully intact skeletons. Some still wearing shards of their clothing. No soft tissue left what so ever in the warm 85 degree, biologically fertle salt waters of the lagoon.

 

[Chaseh]

I expect that when Shaw first discovered the body at depth, it appeared to be only skeletal remains in a wetsuit, but yes, there probably was actually more like a mumified remains left. He probably didn't give it too close an autopsy on the first discovery. Doesn't matter, quite a story, and he's obviously an adventure seeker. The recovery was one more adventure/mission.

Bodies I believe are traditionally left on wrecks and should never be disturbed without good cause. That was some of the most frustrating aspects of the identification of the sub described in the book Shadow Divers. They worked so hard for years, but would have given up on their discovery before ever touching the skeletons, even though rifling through the remains would have solved their riddle much sooner.

 

[opiniongirl]

I cannot imagine the mental stress of doing a body recovery at such a depth, alone...

 

[Leadking]

In Lake Superior we see bodies of crewmembers on some deepwater wrecks that went down in the 1920's and forties. I had a conversation with Phil Nuytten about a body he saw when recovering the bell of the Edmond Fitzgerald. He stated that there was a body next to the wreck wearing an "antique French life preserver". I told him the story of two French minesweepers -Inkerman and Cerisoles, that disappeared on Lake Superior with all hands. They went down in 1918 in a storm on the way to the Sault. It may be that he came across one of the of the ill-fated crew.

 

[wolf eel]

[scubapolly I know we all like to think that no one would leave a body, but going to 270 meters on such a recovery operation is just about certain suicide.]

Its not suicide at all !!!!! They are trying to do something for both adventure and recovery. The recovery was to justify the adventure.

[The article even states the dive team had agreed that if a diver went missing during the recovery no one would search for him.]

This covers all base's prior to going down. That way you know you are on your own. Kinda like climbing grade six ice if you fall your gear may stop you.

[Seems quite foolish that they would risk their lives to recover a body, but would make no effort for a possible rescue. Kind of a case of priorities out of line.]

It seems even more foolish to say bad things about people who will put it on the line. Those type of people are the ones that are called heros when it all goes to plan. This was a S.N.A.F.U not as case of priorities gone wrong !!!


It is not a bad thing to die trying to do something but it is a bad thing to die having tried nothing in life.

 

[Kim]

I have split several posts from this point on as a post was made that is now being evaluated by the Moderators.
Please - DO NOT cross post from other boards and give the impression that it is an original post. You may post what you yourself think as long as it is not offensive but Trolling is not allowed.

I have not PM'd anyone yet as the situation is still under consideration.