Manatee Springs SP cave fatality

[kensuf]

I’ve been in Catfish Hotel but never in the cave. Is it that hard to spot the exit from the cave?

To see daylight from where the line ends, you have to go up through a hole in the ceiling, forward approximately 10', and take a turn. Not a big deal for people that have been there before, but I could easily see how a group of intro to cave divers that had never been there before, but had heard about the fatality of the woman in 2019, would start pooping their pants.

 

[Jack Hammer]

I’ve been in Catfish Hotel but never in the cave. Is it that hard to spot the exit from the cave?

I wouldn't necessarily call it hard. Being aware of where you entered will make the exit much easier to spot as the cavern isn't visible from the main tunnel. This is a great example of why we run lines.

 

[Manatee Diver]

I’ve been in Catfish Hotel but never in the cave. Is it that hard to spot the exit from the cave?

I've never been myself, but I am told because OW divers are allowed in Catfish Hotel the line is in the cave zone unlike more controlled sites where it is well into the cavern zone.

ETA: What I get for not refreshing in three hours.

 

[boulderjohn]

I've never been myself, but I am told because OW divers are allowed in Catfish Hotel the line is in the cave zone unlike more controlled sites where it is well into the cavern zone.

A great topic (yet again) for a different discussion.

 

[tursiops]

I’ve been in Catfish Hotel but never in the cave. Is it that hard to spot the exit from the cave?

I've not exited at Catfish. I've only done Friedman's twice, but both times we swam past Catfish and exited at Manatee....shot out of a gun, so to speak. Good fun. Only broke my spare mask once when I hit the log just outside the exit. Oof. Definitely a one-way traverse, not for beginning cave divers.

 

[boulderjohn]

I've not exited at Catfish. I've only done Friedman's twice, but both times we swam past Catfish and exited at Manatee....shot out of a gun, so to speak. Good fun. Only broke my spare mask once when I hit the log just outside the exit. Oof. Definitely a one-way traverse, not for beginning cave divers.

And now not for experienced cave divers, either.

A collapse a few years ago partially closed that route, with two effects: 1) that exciting current is more exciting, and 2) there are places you will get stuck and be unable to move because of that current.

That is what happened a few years ago when a group from China dove the spring. Their leader had done that exit years before, and he had the group do it. He did not first check to make sure that exit was still diveable. They were lucky that only one of them died.

 

[wgw04024]

I will say though, that does look fun!

 

[JustCavin']

I heard it was a father/son team? Unconfirmed.

It was 2 father son teams. Only fatality was one father. All others made it out safely.

 

[DiveTucson]

Hmmm…the video is no longer available.

 

[JustCavin']

After 1995, probably true. Underwater Cave Rescue and Recovery says almost 30 in 1974, but they are very picky about their site being quoted so I won't show the graph, which ends in 1999.

Not that I can find. I suspect that discussions are kept from the public to reduce the threat of caves being closed to divers.

It was a 4 man team, 2 pair of father/son divers. First time there to dive. Based on information they received the week before, they understood a few things to be true that are not typical of standard cave diving and one point was in fact not true. It was believed that there were lines to the main line at Friedman, Sue sink, AND Catfish. They entered at Friedman, drifted to the end of the line and saw no line to the surface as they had at Sue and Friedman. After looking for a minute or two and not seeing the exit due to duckweed and low light at the time, they had to resort to the back up plan. Having discussed contingencies prior to diving, they decided to go back to the exit they clearly saw (Sue sink). The flow was heavier than normal, around 6kts. All were OC Sidemount, with HP104's. At the turn all had 3000-3100psi in each. Fighting the flow back to Sue Sink caused a considerable amount of fatigue and CO2 build up. When diver 1 and 2 exited at Sue sink, diver 3 did not notice that they were at the exit and swam past it in error as did his father. They were now headed to Friedman. According to one dive computer, SAC had tripled and heart rate was up to 175. That was just before approaching the exit at Sue sink and making it out, for diver 2. He exited with approx 900psi each tank. The father of diver 3 must have recognized they were in a bad situation after missing the planned exit. He began physically pushing and tossing his son (diver 3) ahead of him every time he caught up to him. Long story short, the son exited at Friedman with 1500psi total and was certain diver 4 was directly behind him as he started his ascent. He waited for several minutes at the surface for his father. They would later find diver 4 approx 100ft from the Friedman exit. He had run out of air.