Diver lost in cave in Florida/Homossassa...

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

You're making an assumption that they were not involved in a cave class. You may be correct, but I think you should give the benefit of doubt.

What happened and what did you learn that saved your life?

Here is the link to the original thread
106'Deep in trouble narked, buddies wave bye bye after trouble and up signs - SingleDivers.com Surface Interval INDEX

Here is the story in a nut shell.

Went on a dive I had no business going on and my buddies lefted me narced at 106'
Got in trouble and my mistakes started adding up along with a a very dark narc
After making many mistakes and not able to control my breathing and feeling like I was going to pass out under water, I remembered some of the accident threads about people. I wanted to shoot to the surface but had just read a few threads about how bad that can be for you. I had also read a thread about some divers that got in trouble and instead of aborting the dive just kept trying to work it out instead of calling the dive.

My mistakes were adding up fast and I remembered someone saying that it is never just one thing that gets you but a series of mistakes that keep adding up that you can't over come. I also remembered that just a few days before I had read about a guy who died in the Great Lakes and it occured to me that my dive was up to this point going very much like that fellows and at that point something inside of my clicked. As my "good buddies" were leaving me to swim deeper I remembered that and thought I have already made too many. If I make any more mistakes, it is only a matter of minutes before I make a fatal one. I was going to swim after my buddies and I thought this could be the one that gets you. You signaled trouble and they left you. Just stood there on the bottom trying to sort through things and being so narced I could hardly think. I decided that I had signaled and since they left I had no obligatin to them.

So there I was alone with just a couple dozen dives. I wasn't really able to think and didn't have much if any real experience to draw from. But I had spent countless hours reading the accident forum and I remembered a few things that helped me get to the surface ok. It was a combination of reading many threads

Some of you know that I have shifted my diving toward a DIR curious mode. It was the event in the link above that has encouraged my desire to learn about the system. From that dive forward I vowed that there are certain people that I will never dive with EVER! and I don't really think that is a DIR only principle. I think you need to evaluate what kind of people you are diving with and if it makes sense for you.

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

And is a thread about the passing of another diver the best place to discuss it?

Yes it is the correct place to discuss it. These threads are supposed to be about learning from the mistake of others and applying what we learn in real world diving. This is not the passings/memorial forum.


From the Sticky at the top of the page
Accidents and Incidents This forum is for the discussion of diving Accidents and Incidents. Please read the message at the top of the forum before posting threads or responses. Memorial threads can be posted in the Passings forum.

 

[deepstops]

Back to the story....

http://www.lcni4.com/cgi-bin/storyv...sLocal.2007101-5118-071-071011.Lead+NewsLocal

This is reposted from the local paper, the Citrus County Chronical:

By Cristy Loftis

When Richard "Rick" Anderson learned there was a search for his longtime friend Jim Cummins, he didn't assume the worst.

Cummins, 40, had disappeared during a scuba diving trip in the Gulf of Mexico near Homosassa on Sunday afternoon. Anderson knew his friend was a survivor.

"I figured he'd end up on someone's dock," Anderson said.

But Monday morning rescue divers found Cummins in a cave about 90 feet below the water?s surface, Citrus County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Eddie Lane said.

Cummins lived in Crystal River and was a well-known Inverness attorney. He was a dive instructor and ran Crystal River's Offshore Adventure Dive Center.

On Sunday, Cummins took Harold Arnold, 37, of Crystal River, and Donald Albritton, 26, a local Army recruiter, to a cave about 3.5 to 4 miles from Riverhaven Marina on the Homosassa River. Cummins was helping the men to get their advanced open water diver certification.

While none of the men were certified cave divers, they entered a crack in the Gulf's floor, which leads into caves, Lane said.

At one point, Cummins instructed the divers to stop. Next, Cummins turned around, stirring up silt and making the water cloudy.

That was the last time they saw Cummins, Lane said.

The men waited about 25 minutes for him to reappear, then returned to the surface and reported the incident to authorities.

Authorities from the sheriff's office, U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission searched for Cummins on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. It was a certified cave diver from Birds Under Water helping in the search who finally found Cummins.

Lane said they believe Cummins became disoriented and eventually ran out of air. He was found in a cave off of the main cavern.

Cummins was not attached to a safety line, which is normal protocol for cave divers, Lane said. "Obviously, it was a fatal mistake," Lane said.

Cummins' air tank was also caught in a rock in the cave. Lane said they couldn't tell if Cummins had gotten stuck before or after he died.

He was found at about 9:30 a.m. Monday and brought to a medical examiner official, who was waiting at the Riverhaven Marina where many of Cummins' friends had gathered.

Anderson, who worked for Cummins as an investigator in his law office, met with others who knew Cummins at the marina.

"That's all he ever talked about was diving, diving, diving," Anderson said.

While his friend of more than 20 years liked risks, Cummins was typically a careful person, Anderson said.

Cummins was the father of five children with ages ranging from elementary to college aged.

Friend Cara Cacioppo said she hopes everyone remembers all the good things about Cummins.

"He was the best father I've ever met," Cacioppo said.

This is the third person who has died in a cave in Citrus County in the past three years, Lane said. The last was in July 2006 when a swimmer ventured into an underwater cave in the Chassahowitzka River and died.

 

[Randy43068]

And is a thread about the passing of another diver the best place to discuss it?

Why not? If all of use were standing around the funeral home talking should we limit our discussions to things ONLY concerning the one for whom we're having a funeral?
I think not.

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

So did the AOW students know they were doing part of their AOW in a cave? How long had this guy been teaching and was this the sort of thing he normally did with students? Just wondering if this is the sort of thing he had done many times spinning the chamber and if it just caught up with him one day.

I was talking with a friend about someone who did a entered a submerged building in 300' of water. He planned to just stick his head in a few feet and take a peak and did not use a line. The place silted out before he knew what happened and he had a hard time getting back out. He lamented that he knew better than to do what he did but thought with only a few feet in he could get away with it.

My guess is this guy had been to this cave a few times before and been able to navigate in and out without a problem. And I would also guess that he thought he had the skills to lead two other people and out safely or he wouldn't have taken students there.

After reading stories like this and the one about Chad's death Pudget Sound a few months ago, it has made me step back and have a much more critical eye of instructors and where I would be willing to let them lead me.

 

[The Chairman]

Don't do "trust me" dives. My AOW instructor brought me down to the bottom of Blue Spring without lights on my first dive after certification. :11: It was about a year later when I realized the danger he put me in.

 

[LIVES4SHARKS]

My LDS took us into the cavern at Crystal River on our last checkout dive. The vis was bad and I was told that the 2 divers that were with us were cave trained. It went ok, but after actually working with a mentor who is cave trained, I realized these guys had no clue, and anything could have happened. I no longer dive with that shop, and have found a shop that doesn't believe in having a cavalier approach to diving. As in most accidents, judgement, or lack thereof, seems to be what causes the demise of many divers. Again, we all need to pay attention, follow our dive plans and NEVER leave our buddies. If things don't feel right, it's time to thumb the dive in order to dive another day.

My condolences to the family.
Carolyn:sharks:

 

[venuslock35@yahoo.com]

You will make a great diver one day. The fact that you knew that there is NO room for error under the water, was first, your decision to signal trouble, was second good call,your third and the one which probably saved your life, your decision to stop, assess, solve! You're a good diver. With time, you'll be a great diver. Just dont become complacent, Dont ever become too relaxed of where you are. Death can tap on your shoulder at any time. Way to go and kudos for your decision making. I dive in Crystal River quite often, If its murky, we dont dont go. Its that simple. If someone cant equalize, or having a prob...WE DON'T DIVE. We call it off and do it another day. Dive Buddy can easily turn into a dead buddy. If you feel unsure, dont go! If you have a bad feeling, dont go, etc!!! Diving in any form is an extreme sport. It is considered extreme for good reason. Kudos for your decision, Good luck to you!

 

[Flightlead]

Ah USBB you beat me to it....and BTW I absolutely love your phrase "DIR curious"...

Yes it is the correct place to discuss it. These threads are supposed to be about learning from the mistake of others and applying what we learn in real world diving. This is not the passings/memorial forum.


From the Sticky at the top of the page
Accidents and Incidents This forum is for the discussion of diving Accidents and Incidents. Please read the message at the top of the forum before posting threads or responses. Memorial threads can be posted in the Passings forum.

 

[Geoff_H]

Yes it is the correct place to discuss it. These threads are supposed to be about learning from the mistake of others and applying what we learn in real world diving. This is not the passings/memorial forum.

I am well aware of the purpose of this forum. Please note I asked whether this is the correct THREAD rather than forum to discuss you getting narc'ed and scared. It helps discussions follow more logically if people try to keep one topic per thread rather than mixing in different scenarios and outcomes.

This was about James Cummins getting lost in a cave rather than you getting narc'ed and DIR curious.