Ben reached the locked gate at the entrance to the cave; only experienced divers were given a key to the lock. Authorities in Florida are investigating the deaths of two cave divers at a wildlife park, the Hernando County Sheriffs Office said. His diving career started back in 1995 in the Pacific Northwest that sparked a new passion for the world beneath the water's surface. 4. Data regarding trained cave divers were divided into two equal 15-year time periods. The McDaniels were called, and they drove to Florida, along with Greer, to observe from the shore. National Library of Medicine Emergency medical services responded to a call and he was admitted to a hospital in Pensacola. After seven dives, he apologized to the McDaniels for not finding any fresh sign of Ben. By that time the McDaniels had also come to believe that, if he had not died in the cave, Ben had been murdered. Cave diving is perilous at the best of times but Tham Luang presents its own extreme challenges. The dive shop withheld the gate key, unless a diver showed proof of cave diving certification, which requires two months' training including 125 dives with an instructor or certified diving partner. Afterwards, she and her husband Robert McClellan, both certified cave divers and documentary filmmakers, went to Vortex Spring to make a short video. Normally you had to have a buddy system before you was allowed to get the group I never knew them to allow a single diver go on their own. [14] The talk box, originally located in the Piano Room of the cave, was moved to the basin area of Vortex Springs and is now at a depth of only 21 feet (6.4m). Something went wrong, please try again later. While underwater, he discovered the body of missing Deon Dreyer, who had passed away in the cave ten years before Dave's dive. [13] Experienced divers scoured the cave, investigating small crevices and fissures Ben might have entered in a panicked attempt to exit the cave, as his tanks ran low, a pattern found in other cave diving deaths. Many divers are adamant that Ben isnt inside the cave. Three teen swimmers led deputies to the bodies of two divers who drowned at Buford Springs in Florida last week Hernando County Sheriff's Office. On the evening Ben disappeared, an inebriated Lowell showed up at the spring and asked if it was too late to go diving. The man escaped, and prosecutors later charged Kelly with assault and kidnapping in the incident. "[1], The McDaniels did what they could to help the search. HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help Cadaver dogs alerted on the water surface, further supporting that theory. Marson Kay, 29, of Gainesville apparently became disoriented during a dive in Weeki Wachee's main spring and got wedged in an underwater cavern, authorities said. [2], Frustrated by the limitations the search had thus far encountered, and increasingly coming to believe that Ben's body was in an area of the cave no one had yet reached, the McDaniels offered a reward of $10,000, raised from money contributed at a benefit held on what would have been their son's 31st birthday, at the end of the year to anyone "brave" enough to go to those places and find it. Ben decided to fake his own death, and is still alive somewhere.More than a decade later, the truth of what happened to Ben McDaniel still isn't known.Disclaimer: I had tested positive for covid this week and was in the middle of getting symptoms while recording the videoso it's a little rough, but there was no way I was going to wait to post this story. 1) Karen Thurston "Cave diver feared dead in accident" Tallahassee Democrat May 16, 1988. "It's very narrow, very awkward, and it's difficult to get rescuers down there," rescuer Shawn Roundy told media at the time. It's technical diving at its most technical. 186. News media in the Panhandle and Memphis followed the search closely. The most common cause of death was asphyxia due to drowning, preceded by running out of breathing gas, usually after getting lost owing to a loss of visibility caused by suspended silt. Warning: Do not read this story if you're claustrophobic. The spring remains a pleasant 68 degrees year round and boasts of thousands of tourists who flock to the spring for camping, swimming and of course, diving. The incident was reported on Divernet, although at . )[20], McDaniel was not the only person associated with Vortex Spring at the time facing serious legal issues. Conclusion: Former Firefighter Richard Stanton played a crucial role in the Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand in 2018. FOIA Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies Jimlast-minute fill-in, Support Diver Number Six, mere mortal among godshas rescued the boys' coach, the monk who had done the impossible, too: kept 12 children alive in a flooded cave . New posts Search forums. [22], Kelly remained comatose, and was eventually placed in hospice care, where he died the following month. "After what we went through with Paul, we know our son well enough to know he wouldn't put us through that again," his mother told the Commercial Appeal.[1]. A spelunker is somebody who explores caves as a hobby. Mr Budd was right as among the horrific cave diving stories since 1973, is that of 26-year-old medical student John Edward Jones who became stuck in Utah in 2009. In February 2014 two divers died at a depth of more than 100m in a huge cave system in Norway. [2] That opinion, the Memphis Commercial Appeal later reported, was shared by posters on a scuba diving website, scubaboard.com, who had also met Ben during trips to Vortex Spring. It considers all the theories regarding its subject's disappearance: an accident as originally believed, a murder or coverup of the accident as the McDaniels have sometimes alleged, and the possibility of a staged disappearance to allow Ben to escape his problems, which McClellan believes. 8600 Rockville Pike By Johnny Diaz. An equipment failure caused the rope system to plunge John right back into the same gap he'd been trapped in previously, and the rescue operation was back to square one. Teacher with prosthetic Z-cup breast FINALLY put on leave. Paul was not being prescribed opiates. Authorities in Florida are investigating the deaths of two cave divers at a wildlife park, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office said. BBC World Service. Through the years, McAniff, of Rhode Island, said he has seen the number of diving deaths decrease while the sport's popularity is on the rise. An avid diver since his teens, he had been a regular at the spring, where he had apparently been covertly exploring the cave despite lacking the required certification. On November 24, the group ventured into the Nutty Putty Cave, a popular spelunking spot known for its tight twists, turns and crawls. John's brother Josh was the first to find him, and tried pulling at his calves but was unsuccessful. When tested, the tanks were found to contain normal air, not the specialized gas mix required for diving at depth. Lowell Kelly, who had owned Vortex Spring since 2007, was facing criminal charges. Other than the two tanks, there was no sign of Ben: no dive mask, no fins, no wet suit, no body. Reports of cave diving fatality cases occurring between 01 July 1985 and 30 June 2015 collected by Divers Alert Network were reviewed. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much When their football practice ended on Saturday 23 June, 2018, the 12 members of Wild Boars decided to go cave exploring with assistant coach Ekkaphon . Cookie Notice My gut feeling tells me someone closely involved with the last sighting of Mr. McDaniel knows more about his disappearance than they are letting on. Cave divers enter an inherently dangerous environment that often includes little visibility, maze-like passageways and a ceiling of rock that prevents a direct ascent to the surface in the event of a problem. [23], Among the divers who heard about the case was Jill Heinerth, a Canadian who has set the world record for deepest dive by a woman. "Ultimately the decision was made that it was too much risk for the rescuers to remain there in an effort to get him out and the decision was made to leave him in place.". Others theorise he faked his own death. Her identity Would love your thoughts, please comment. #cave #cavediving #cavestory #disappearance #disappeared #diving #accidentOn August 18th, 2010, 30-year-old open water diver, Ben McDaniel, was last seen diving in the underwater cave at Vortex Spring in Ponce de Leon, Florida. In 2008, the McDaniel family suffered a tragedy when their youngest son, Paul, died from a stroke. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. To this day, they havent given up hope that one day Ben, dead or alive, shall be found. If Edd Sorenson says Bens not in the cave, hes not there. [2], Sorenson, who has been described by the Tampa Bay Times as being able to go where other divers cannot,[2] persisted. They did see the truck the next morning. "He's not in great shape physically, there's a lot of pressure on his upper body and back but he's been amazingly resilient and he has incredibly high spirits under the circumstances," Sgt Spencer Cannon said at the time. Edd Sorenson (born October 17, 1959) is a technical cave diver known for numerous rescues of lost or trapped divers in the underwater caves of Florida particularly in Vortex Springs and Blue Springs Recreational Park. [2], On August 18, the Wednesday after he returned to the Santa Rosa Beach house, he went up to Vortex Spring again. Here is another one from "Disappeared". He came to Vortex Springs the next day. Terrifyingly John then slid even further down into the passage and was trapped with his arms pinned under his chest. A private investigator they hired believes that his body may have been removed before any authorities were contacted, or that he may even have been murdered on land and the narrative of his disappearance fabricated as a cover story. [2], On some nights when they had seen Ben dive late, the two had stayed at the spring after resurfacing until they saw bubbles on the surface, indicating that he was beginning to decompress in order to safely resurface. An estimated 92,000 people died at the camp, according to the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem. The divers who recovered his body believed he was, however. According to the . The McDaniel family hired Lynn-Marie Carty, a private investigator. Replies 39 Views 2,017. 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