Edd Sorenson saves ow diver in a cave

[MXGratefulDiver]

I'm really at a loss as to what is going through these people's heads when they go into these areas.......

... usually something along the lines of "Hey y'all, watch this" ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[tracydr]

There is a mountain in PA that used to have a sign saying how many people died on that road. Did little good. I always thought a better idea would have been to post the photos of the victims the way they found them. Would have made much more of an impact.

And it goes directly back to how they were warned in their classes. If they were at all. I show at a minimum the Deceptive video. My OW instructor had never heard of it. Some seem afraid to focus on what can really happen and the risks for fear of scaring off new divers. A scared off new diver is better than a dead one.

It's been a long time since my OW class. Does anybody remember if the PADI OW book even mentioned overhead diving 16 years ago? Because I remember a time when I actually wasn't quite sure what people were talking about when they said "overhead" diving. Did they mean cave? Wreck? I didn't know what overhad meant. And what was really so dangerous about it? Because I'd never actually seen an underwater cave or a real wreck and so I had no concept and absolutely no idea what could go wrong.
I can only hope that other OW classes go into more detail about this than mine did. I've always have an attraction to caves and my goal is to get cave trained so that I can someday dive them. I've taken the long way.
It's a good thing I didn't live near caves when I was first trained because I didn't know what I didn't know and I was much braver when I was younger than I am now.
youth is dangerous.
thanks, Edd! Thanks, Kevin!

 

[Cyprian]

Agree, Edd is in a league all on his own with the countless rescue and recovery dives he's done. Dive community is fortunate to have Edd.

John, those two would have perished had you not reached them. Remember, the OW diver's response that he knows how to dive and he is not an idiot.

John,

Don't minimize what you did. I applaud you, sir!

Edd....yes I applaud him too, many times.

 

[ferris213]

This is an incredible story and great job to those that saved the divers life. Would it be worth stressing that it is not always the very inexperienced that perish?

I recall a number of signs when hiking in the Grand Canyon that warned people off trying to hike all the way down and back in one day, said you needed proper gear and experience, and that they had fatalities almost every year. The one that got to me was when they explained that it wasn't old or weak people that were dying, it was the young fit guys who thought they could do it.

I don't know the practicalities of it but perhaps a sign saying something like "If you have made it this far back in the cave and don't have full training, you are exactly the type of person who dies in here."

As morbid as it might be, a running total of the number of deaths in the cave posted somewhere at the reaper sign might wake some people up?

 

[kotik]

Tammy, I'm sorry to pick on a phrase in your post, but I'm gonna...

It's not that Edd has saved 'many' people, I think the count is three now. That probably does seem like many to you, because you happen to know that the odds of pulling off a save, on two separate occasions, is on the order of hitting the lottery. It's just unheard of. It's really just three people though.

From Kevin's details in a post on CDF, this time it was a daughter who'd gone in with her father. If this story had played out the way it might have, I can't imagine how that man might have felt. I just hope now he'll make full use of this second chance to take better care of something so precious.

C'mon folks... if you're out there, untrained, looking at the entrance to one of these and contemplating if Edd's so good he might go for four, you might better just wait until after you win the powerball.

There's a sign right there in the thing, it tells you what has happened time after time before you. This time it's talking to you, and it's really, really, not a joke.

 

[Zippsy]

It's been a long time since my OW class. Does anybody remember if the PADI OW book even mentioned overhead diving 16 years ago? Because I remember a time when I actually wasn't quite sure what people were talking about when they said "overhead" diving. Did they mean cave? Wreck? I didn't know what overhad meant. And what was really so dangerous about it? ....

The 1984 manual did not mention overhead environments, caves, caverns or wrecks. The 1988 manual certainly did though. While it did not go into as much detail or repetition as the current manual does, it was pretty clear that going into any area without a direct swim straight up to the surface was extremely dangerous, potentially lethal and not to be done without further training and equipment.

 

[eelnoraa]

wow, way to go. Hat off to Edd

 

[stairman]

This girl doesnt know how lucky she is that she didnt run out of air in zero vis before Edd found her. He was at a different location, [JB] when he got the call. Twin silts up very easily with poor technique. Id like to see a public THANK YOU from the dad and daughter and their side of the story for others to learn from. Edd Sorrenson is IMO the diver of the year.

 

[FoxHound]

They can not & should not rely on Edd or anyone else to save them. Properly trained cave divers are taught to rely on their team & most importantly themselves in an emergency situation. Unfortunately Edd & others can not be everywhere all the time. I am in no way demeaning what Edd has done. He has saved many divers & has gone after those who don't make it. Very important to be sure. This year has been a very bad one in the numbers of fatalities. It is appearing that the leassons learned by earlier cave diving pioneers is being forgotten. It is sounding like there needs to be a redoubling of education about the risks & possible outcomes

Absolutely agree! If you want to do the dive, get the training beforehand. I was just pointing out that I'm very thankful for guys like them, as much as I wish we didn't need them.......its not fun having to rescue someone or recovering, im sure it makes a sport they love just a little less enjoyable for them.

 

[Griffo]

Wow. I hope this girl buys a lotto ticket, and Edd some new shiny piece of dive gear. What an incredible good luck story.