Freediver missing in Eagle's Nest

[CuzzA]

The way they ran this dive without a proper safety diver the guy would of died just as easily in open ocean.

A solution tube the size of a bath tub and open water are vastly different environments. Suggesting anything otherwise is terrible advice. No one should be freediving inside that cave. It would be nearly impossible to buddy dive.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Out of curiosity, where is the line between 'swimming under water' and 'freediving'? Is it a depth or time things, or a combination of both?

Intent

 

[Cornellxc]

A solution tube the size of a bath tub and open water are vastly different environments. Suggesting anything otherwise is terrible advice. No one should be freediving inside that cave. It would be nearly impossible to buddy dive.

Nothing I've said is inconsistent with what you're saying. If you can't set up a dive with a proper buddy system then you shouldn't do it at all. I definitely am not advocating for freediving this location (that I've never seen).

 

[Superlyte27]

For those of you who don't know, Eagles Nest is shaped like an hour Glass where the restriction in that hour Glass is about 40' long and 5' in diameter. Oh yeah, the bottom of the hour Glass is probably 800' long and 400' wide. There is (last time I was there a few months ago) a 3/8" nylon rope from about 20' to the bottom at 140'ish feet. The diver who died absolutely was in overhead.

No friggin way I'd free dive it, ever. Even if I didn't suck at free diving.

 

[Dan]

CaveAtlas.com » Cave Diving » United States » Eagle's Nest

 

[aquacat8]

Holy Mola did he go into the tube? If the other diver turned at 80 feet it looks like he must have? From an angle can you see the way back?

 

[boulderjohn]

From an angle can you see the way back?

Not easily.

When diving from deeper inside the cave, you are following a line up the debris mound, and it leads you to the ascent line. If you go through the tube and take a turn to have a look around, losing sight of that line....

 

[aquacat8]

Not easily.

When diving from deeper inside the cave, you are following a line up the debris mound, and it leads you to the ascent line. If you go through the tube and take a turn to have a look around, losing sight of that line....

Yikes! So it might have been just getting lost! Terrible!

 

[The_Aviator_1]

To help you out with a visual of the cave, these are screen shots from my dive at EN a few months ago. This first photo is the top of the solution tube in about 25 feet of water,
that dark hole is the one he went down. Keep in mind I have a LM 32W LED light, which is extremely powerful and was on the whole dive.

This is the basin swimming out to the opening of the cave.

This is where the solution tube opens up to the top of the ballroom at around 70 feet or so deep.

This is looking down toward the debris cone with almost $4000 worth of flashlights in a room that is as described earlier huge.

And that is looking up towards the opening headed out of the cave. Keep in mind that tiny little line in a room that is over the size of a football field.

It took years of training and practice to be able to safely dive that cave system and I was still mildly apprehensive before my first trip in. These are dangerous dangerous environments that take a significant amount of practice and time, as well as going with experienced guides/buddies at first before even considering attempting them. Hopefully these visuals help you grasp the vastness of the darkness and the dangers of this cave system

 

[aquacat8]

Oh my! Those pics are amazing! But no, no way should anyone freedive there, or even scuba dive there without cave gear, training, and brass balls!