Peacock Springs Fatality

[novadiver]

Originally this thread was part of a larger thread ostensibly about an accident in Peacock Springs. It has gone off in several directions, and this thread is one of them. Since it is a split, the posts may not flow smoothly; feel free to ask for clarification. Some posts are deleted - if you find one of yours missing from all four threads and you *really* feel it's important, and you don't want to try to reconstruct your thoughts - PM me and I'll see what I can do.
The four threads are
Peacock Springs Fatality - Accidents & Incidents
Peacock Springs - Cave Diving
Possible lessons from Peacock - Cave diving
Accountability in accidents - Basic Scuba Discussions

Rick

While surfing other sites , I 'm starting to hear news about a fatality at peacock. The new year is starting off bad. I really hope it's not someone I know or have talk to on this site.

My hopes and prayers are going out ...

 

[murphdivers286]

:frown:DITTO!!!!!:17:

 

[simbrooks]

No idea who, any actual info posted on that other site regarding details/cert level etc?

Sorry to hear of anyone dying in the caves. That system has been clearing up nicely from the storms, did two good dives there a month ago with OBG.

 

[salty]

Here is the article that ran in the Gainesville Sun today...

------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Newberry man drowned Tuesday afternoon while he and his friends
were diving in a cave at Peacock Springs in Suwannee County.

David Benjamin Jones, 34, was last seen just after 1 p.m. by two
friends diving with him, said Suwannee County Sheriff Tony Cameron.

Cameron said that while diving, Jones told his friends he was low on
air and was leaving the cave. But Jones was eventually found in a
another section of the cave, indicating he got lost trying to swim
out, Cameron said.

Jones friends notified the Sheriff's office at about 2 p.m., Cameron
said. Jones had been missing for 55 minutes when a recovery diver
found his body. Jones was not a certified cave diver, Cameron said.

Cameron said the body was sent to the Medical Examiner's Office for
an autopsy, but that nothing indicates that foul play was involved.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[OneBrightGator]

Just to clarify, the fatality was in Peacock 3, which is a significantly different section of cave from the rest of the system, also, not one you "stumble into", you have to know where the entrance is.

 

[jbd]

Here is the article that ran in the Gainesville Sun today...

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cameron said that while diving, Jones told his friends he was low on
air and was leaving the cave. But Jones was eventually found in a
another section of the cave, indicating he got lost trying to swim
out, Cameron said.

Jones had been missing for 55 minutes when a recovery diver
found his body. Jones was not a certified cave diver, Cameron said.


------------------------------------------------------------------------

This says it all and it is a sad waste of a life. Prayers and condolences to his family.

 

[simbrooks]

Although through conjecture and blame storming we could hypothesise about this case, lets try to keep this civil and avoid such things - that can get heated pretty quickly

 

[Mako Mark]

what was a non cave diver doing in the cave??

Five simple rules.......

 

[simbrooks]

While trying not to slip into conjecture, the report and other facts seem to state:
1. They may/may not have had cavern training (but certainly not cave according to the report), so most likely going beyond their training
2. Didnt observe gas management - or at least low air might state this and they didnt turn the dive as a group at that point
3. May not have been following the line all that well, although there is a line in P3 (from what i have heard), however i havent dove that part yet, if anything like the lines out of P1 they are marked at least every 100ft with arrows pointing out.

Peacock Springs SP is set up to only allow certified divers to dive (the rangers are pretty quick on checking cards), so something is amiss here about them being in the water unless they were diving beyond their cavern cert (assuming they had one).

 

[MikeFerrara]

what was a non cave diver doing in the cave??

Getting killed of course.