Ginnie Springs - Untrained Diver Dies in Cave at night.

[GrierHPharmD]

I thought that we should put a link to this story here.


Night
A cave dive without cave training
Alcohol?

Not exactly a formula for success. What a waste of a life.


http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?p=740432&posted=1#post740432

 

[Epinephelus]

There are some "broken records" (does the CD generation understand that term, "broken record?" I'll have to ask my granddaughter ) in accidents that just don't have any new lessons to learn in 'em.
In aviation, it is "non instrument rated pilot continued flight into instrument conditions." Its diving equivalent, with the same sad predictable results, is "non overhead diving rated diver continued dive into overhead environment."
So sad, so predictable.
---
My own personal effort to prevent this is to have each of my OW students write the following in their log books, date and sign it, before their first dive:
"I have been briefed, and I will not go into any cave or other overhead environment." I hope the act of writing it down and signing it will stick with them and blunt the temptation once they're certified and out of my direct supervision.
E

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Evolution at work.

 

[Rick Inman]

Evolution at work.

The article said the victim was a teacher. Too bad he was not a learner.

 

[baitedstorm]

eeeeek!

 

[H2Andy]

very sad indeed....

here's the key for me:

"He had went down 2 or 3 times and upon his last time resurfacing he had told them that he had just a few minutes of air left in his tanks and he would not be down that long," says Turner.

this is reminiscent of what happened to that diver at King's Spring (Crystal River)
not too long ago.

they go into a cave without much air, and don't realize how easy it is to get disoriented. then they don't have enough time (air) to deal with whatever the cave throws at them.

very sad. i know it's "asking for it" but i honestly don't think many people realize
the danger at all.

http://www.wcjb.com/news.asp?id=10418

 

[suthnbelle]

My heart goes out to the family and this teacher's students. Imagine he gave up a career in finance to make mediocre pay teaching kids. That says something about this guy's character.

I was diving at Kings Spring the day before the Navy guy died while exploring a cave. It was a shock to be leaving the next day and find out someone died at the same place I was diving the day before. I did do a swim through of a small cave opening, with an instructor - we dropped down into an opening and immediately swam out the top, while at Kings Spring. I doubt it was the same cave. I can definitely see the lure of the caves but I wouldn't do it without training.

 

[Wendy]

My heart goes out to the family and this teacher's students. Imagine he gave up a career in finance to make mediocre pay teaching kids. That says something about this guy's character.

I was diving at Kings Spring the day before the Navy guy died while exploring a cave. It was a shock to be leaving the next day and find out someone died at the same place I was diving the day before. I did do a swim through of a small cave opening, with an instructor - we dropped down into an opening and immediately swam out the top, while at Kings Spring. I doubt it was the same cave. I can definitely see the lure of the caves but I wouldn't do it without training.

Probably the same, as that is the only cavern/cave I know of there.

Was the instructor you with an overhead instructor?

 

[jbd]

Was the instructor you with an overhead instructor?

Same question that I had :06:

 

[suthnbelle]

Probably the same, as that is the only cavern/cave I know of there.

Was the instructor you with an overhead instructor?

No comment. Actually I don't know - the swim through didn't bother me but it did one student who bolted out the entrance. Other people I've mentioned it to were shocked that they took a couple of us through considering we were just certified in OW the day before at Devils Den. I think this person did it because they thought we could handle the swim through. We only stopped inside the cave just for a minute to just turn our heads and look around then we swam out. We were getting certified in our navigation that day and the vis outside the cave was only 5ft.