ben cave diving death

Efforts to develop preventative interventions to address these hazards should continue. HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help For more information, please see our "Ben was brave," his father later said. He slipped beneath the clear waters of Vortex Spring, with one goal in mind: to make a name for himself in the extreme world of cave diving. For the college football player and coach, see, Scuba diver who disappeared during or after a cave dive, Cave diving beyond the locked gate at Vortex Springs, bacteria that would indicate the presence of a decomposing human body, "Theories about Collierville diver's disappearance swirl in vortex of unanswered questions", "When a diver goes missing, a deep cave is scene of a deeper mystery", "Collierville parents pull reward for missing diver", "Article on Ben McDaniel Vortex Springs Case", "What Happened to Ben McDaniel? FOIA He was on a yacht in the Bahamas, leading an expedition. The grim mystery of where Ben is haunts the McDaniels family. He found nothing no body, and no evidence of one such as increased activity by carnivorous aquatic scavengers, nor any evidence that Ben had gotten into those sections, such as marks on the cave walls or disturbed silt. Scuba diving is a safe sport. Two cave divers died in a possible drowning in Florida, authorities said Thursday. "Once John had been declared dead, there were discussions about 'How do we get him out?' This forum is for the discussion of diving Accidents and Incidents and has. The father-of-one's tragic mistake was thinking he could squeeze into the same spaces as a six-foot man than he did when he was a lot younger and smaller. "It's very narrow, very awkward, and it's difficult to get rescuers down there," rescuer Shawn Roundy told media at the time. 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. They did see the truck the next morning. The rescue mission became a body recovery operation, but it became apparent that it would simply be too dangerous to get John out of the passage. A massive rescue expedition was launched to pull out a man trapped in one of Utah's narrowest caves, but heartbreakingly John Edward Jones was unable to be saved and his body is still inside, Don't miss a thing! official website and that any information you provide is encrypted government site. July 1 - The progress of Belgian cave diver Ben Reymenants and engineers pumping out water convince them to stay. However, since Ben wasnt certified to go past the gate, makes it difficult for him to find a buddy to also engage in this reckless behavior. Introduction: The sheriff's office also refused to release the autopsy report to the Northwest Florida Daily News despite its status as a public record under the Florida Sunshine Law; it claimed that release of the report would compromise an ongoing investigation. They were eventually able to partially free him using a rope-pulley system. Veteran Cave diver Brett Hemphill believes it was likely a painless death. Updated. Keywords: We were able to hold his hand at some point.". Updated: Jun 24, 2022 / 04:53 AM EDT. He was wearing a dive mask, fins, and a wet suit. They hired Steve Keene, who had originally mapped the Vortex Spring cave in 2003, to look. This is the second of a two-part series about the mysterious disappearance of Ben McDaniel, a certified open water SCUBA diver that has been missing since August 18, 2010. The ex-employee managed to escape into the woods but was left so shaken that he moved his family out of town and swore he would never return. In the 1990s, 13 divers perished in the cave. Emily was also expecting their second child at the time, a boy who was born the following year and named after his dad. 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. He had left his dog in Santa Rosa Beach and had not given Greer any indication of such plans. The employees of the dive shop were familiar with Ben McDaniel, and knew his reason for being on the premises was to dive the spring. Whatever the final cause of death, whichever of the million things a real cave diver knows can go wrong and kill you, which an open water diver has no idea . Everyone was relieved but then there was a heartbreaking twist. [2], Ben was 6feet 1inch (185cm) tall and weighed 210 pounds (95kg), one inch (2.5cm) taller and 20 pounds (9.1kg) heavier than Sorenson. Simon Halliday, 49, from Clitheroe, Lancs, died at Lancaster Hole near Kirkby Lonsdale on 4 January, 2020. 1:10 AM EDT, Fri June 24, 2022. 27-30. "He was found near a shovel left near a restriction so small that no one could get through it," said Sorenson, who had pulled Higginbotham's body back through four tight restrictions. But when John breathed in again, his chest expanded and he was wedged inside for good. They hired a Florida private investigator, Lynn-Marie Carty, who found that other people associated with Vortex Spring besides Kelly had criminal records. Two days later, it was noticed that Bens car was still in the parking lot where it had remained for the past two days. He continued Continue Reading [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. Around 7:30p.m., as the sun began to set, he went in again. 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 . Last modified on Fri 14 Jul 2017 15.42 EDT. you'd be dead a long time ago," diver Ben Reymenants, who was part of the rescue mission, says. Witnesses came forward to say they had encountered Ben on the evening of the 18th of August. The former owner, Lowell Kelly, was charged with driving an ex-employee into the woods and accused him of stealing money before beating him viciously with a baseball bat. Taran, who said he had let Ben into the cave despite knowing he lacked certification to dive in it, passed a lie detector test of his account. But what happened to a keen young explorer deep in the bowels of Utah's famous cave system must surely take the cake as the worst death of all time. The body of a cave diver still remains trapped upside-down after his ghastly death. 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. Seeing a massive great white shark ambushing Ben and dragging him off mid-sentence makes for a terrifying jolt, but the subsequent grey blur could hardly be called chilling. 7. Manatee Springs SP cave fatality. They never saw him again. As the sun faded on the 19 th of August, 2010, Ben walked down the narrow dock and slipped in the clear, warm, water of Vortex Spring. Ben was last seen by two Vortex Spring (VS) employees at the gate blocking untrained and non-certified divers from entering the most dangerous parts of the cave. In the 1990s, 13 divers perished in the cave. But when John breathed in again, his chest expanded and he was wedged inside for good. He had a new girlfriend in Florida and had been talking about starting his own business. If Edd Sorenson says Bens not in the cave, hes not there. PMC Privacy Policy. [1], Upon arrival, the sheriff's deputies sealed off the spring with crime-scene tape. The authorities said it was too dangerous to retrieve their bodies, but four . He is thought to be part of the group that first found the boys on the Monday. They didnt want to risk their lives, understandably. Ben wasnt an experienced diver thus he had no key. Unable to load your collection due to an error, Unable to load your delegates due to an error. Josh had no choice but to leave his brother and work his way out of the cave where he called for help. When diving, you always have to be alert and aware of your surroundings. His family said the diver wasn't looking for Ben McDaniel, but cave divers are skeptical.The family steadily increased a reward to $30,000, which incensed the cave diving community because they thought it was recklessly encouraging inexperienced divers to . According to RAID, a top scuba training agency, the number one cause of serious injury or death in cave diving is not gear failure, getting lost, becoming trapped, or running out of air. This article is about the scuba diver who went missing in 2010. Although the McDaniels continue to believe Ben's body is in an area of the cave beyond the reach of current search capabilities, they have also entertained the possibility that his death was not an accident but the result of foul play. One rescuer was able to get close enough to pronounce him dead of cardiac arrest. Diving Hyperb Med. Harris RJ, Frawley G, Devaney BC, Fock A, Jones AB. Former Firefighter Richard Stanton played a crucial role in the Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand in 2018. She realized that he had, in fact, gotten very far into the cave. [1] Undeterred, the McDaniels increased the award, twice. The father-of-one's tragic mistake was thinking he could squeeze into the same spaces as a six-foot man than he did when he was a lot younger and smaller. The rescue mission became a body recovery operation, but it became apparent that it would simply be too dangerous to get John out of the passage. "If I had to guess his son suffered from some horrible narcosis. An experienced California diver who was helping with the exploration of the narrow underwater passageways that radiate from a well-known swimming hole in eastern New . The missing persons case remains open. Two days later, it was noticed that Ben's car was still in the . [1], Some other events reported to have occurred on the day Ben disappeared supported that theory. On August 18th 2010, Ben McDaniel, a 30 year old scuba diver, vanished 115ft underwater in the cave at Vortex Spring, in Ponce De Leon, FL. [2], Reports of a missing diver in the Vortex Spring cave spread and other cave divers volunteered for what they assumed would be a recovery operation, taking advantage of the weekend. "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]. [10] At some points, the passage narrows to 10 inches (25cm), requiring divers to remove their tanks, push them forward through the passage, and then twist their bodies to follow. According to the BBC, local officials had given up . The cave steadily narrows, reaching a makeshift rebar gate with a chain and padlock, at a point almost 300 feet (91m) from the entrance. [2] They agreed to put up $54,000 to guarantee the cost of replacing a remotely operated underwater vehicle brought to the spring by the Fort Lauderdale police, in case it was lost in the cave. The McDaniels devoted their family's extensive financial resources to the search, at one point guaranteeing the replacement cost of a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV). In the late 2000s Ben McDaniel was going through a difficult period in his life. As he watched Ben attempt to open the gate, he retrieved his own key and opened the gate, allowing Ben to swim though. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Others theorise he faked his own death. The 26-year-old was a medical student, father of one and an experienced spelunker, John Edward Jones died after getting trapped upside in a nightmarishly narrow cave passage in 2009, This diagram shows how John was firmly wedged upside down in a narrow passage, Nutty Putty Cave is located south of Salt Lake City, Utah, Rescuers worked for hours to try to pull John out to no avail, A memorial plaque to John stands near the entrance to Nutty Putty Cave. The site is secure. "The last place I searched was pristine, without a mark that a diver had been there. 3) Ed. He has never been seen again. The incident was reported on Divernet, although at . Zacaton is the deepest of five ceynotes located on a large ranch, El Rancho Asufrosa, in northeastern Mexico. [1], Shelby does not believe Ben had any intention of abandoning his life. [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. and transmitted securely. To me, the disappearance of Ben McDaniel is cave diving's greatest mystery. June 27, 2022 2:41pm. The spring was closed and crime scene tape was tied from tree to tree while his disappearance was investigated. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. March 31, 2016 / 5:35 PM / AP. Other divers saw him looking closely at the area around the cave entrance, as if, it was later reported, he was planning something. John left behind his wife Emily and their baby daughter Lizzie. Investigative documents detailing the events surrounding a diver's death at Roaring River State Park show that multiple factors likely contributed to the drowning deep inside a cave . [1], With the cave thoroughly searched, some divers began questioning whether Ben was there at all. [2][1], At Vortex Spring, which claims on its website to be the largest diving facility in the state,[8] divers descend into clear waters at a constant temperature of 68F (20C) fed by the Floridan Aquifer. Join us for a scary storytime covering the true story of Dave Shaw. . One of the divers is believed to have mentioned that he possibly had a leak in his tank.. In the middle of the day, he did one dive. Some of the worst scuba accidents occur because of inexperienced divers making small mistakes. [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. 2 Coincidentally, Lowell died under suspicious circumstances two years after Ben disappeared. One of the experienced divers who searched for Ben, Kevin Carlisle, explained: We may never know the truth of where he is, but we do know where he isnt and that is because of a lot of talented and qualified divers. As they searched the tiny passages, there was no sign of human activity. 'S deputies sealed off the Spring was closed and crime scene tape was tied from tree to while... Grim mystery of where Ben is haunts the McDaniels increased the award, twice more,. Our knowledge of you still remains trapped upside-down after his dad left his. Of Belgian cave diver still remains trapped upside-down after his dad five located! 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