Terrifyingly John then slid even further down into the passage and was trapped with his arms pinned under his chest. 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. Three tanks believed to belong to Ben were recovered. One ex-navy diver, Saman Gunan, died in the cave last Friday. [1], Some other events reported to have occurred on the day Ben disappeared supported that theory. And no traces of Ben were ever found inside of Vortex Spring.In this video I breakdown the story of what happened before Ben's journey into Vortex Spring. 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. 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. "Once John had been declared dead, there were discussions about 'How do we get him out?' Epub 2013 Jan 31. 1 This location was perfect for Ben, who was an avid diver. 3) Ed. In the 1990s, 13 divers perished in the cave. The man escaped, and prosecutors later charged Kelly with assault and kidnapping in the incident. Deputies were alerted Wednesday afternoon after one . Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}304617N 855653W / 30.77149N 85.94812W / 30.77149; -85.94812, On August 20, 2010, Ben McDaniel (born April 15, 1980), of Memphis, Tennessee, United States, was reported missing after employees in the dive shop at Vortex Spring, north of Ponce de Leon, Florida, noticed that his pickup truck had remained in the shop's parking lot for the previous two days. While divers couldnt find Ben, they did find two decompression tanks which are left by divers as they ascend to avoid decompression sickness. Or something more sinister. He made three separate dives that day,[1] going (by his account) 1,700 feet (520m) into the cave, 200 feet (61m) further than those sections Ben had mapped, using a diver propulsion vehicle and smaller tanks to increase his range. advertisement. [1], She and McClellan turned their private video short into a feature-length documentary, Ben's Vortex, released in 2012. 4. "He just got himself in a pinch and couldn't find his way back out", said one of the divers who recovered the body. The Holmes County sheriff's office, which had also been the lead agency investigating the McDaniel disappearance, implied that it had not gotten the full story of what had occurred the night of Kelly's injury and that it had some questions it wanted answered. 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On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Jill Heinerth says Dan's Cave on Abaco Island, Bahamas, is her "favorite cave on Earth." Diver and photographer Jill Heinerth has explored unmapped, underwater caves deep in the earth, as well as . THERES NOTHING WORTH DYING FOR it ominously reads. Other than the two tanks, there was no sign of Ben: no dive mask, no fins, no wet suit, no body. . "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. The Pair Have Been Involved in Other Rescues. Here is another one from "Disappeared". National Library of Medicine It was "discovered" by Jim Bowden and Ann Kristovich on a reconnaissance trip made at the end of two weeks of exploration and surveying in the Nacimiento Santa Clara, a cave system at the . A spelunker is somebody who explores caves as a hobby. 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. He accepted the offer and moved into the house in April 2010. The spring consists of a 200ft basin which leads to an underground cave system. A memorial plaque to John stands near the entrance to Nutty Putty Cave, 12 years since the tragedy took place. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Volunteer searches continued afterwards at the spring through November, often with the McDaniels and Greer in attendance. For more information, please see our In February 2014 two divers died at a depth of more than 100m in a huge cave system in Norway. Only one returns. In 1991, an experienced cave diver named Parker Turner and his diving partner Bill Gavin were mapping caves in Indian Springs, a cavernous fresh water spring in the Florida Panhandle. "I know what I'm doing and I barely made it through," he told the Commercial Appeal. [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). 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. (According to a 2014 online comment by his father, he could not find anyone at Vortex Spring willing to be his diving partner, so he did his dives alone. PMC Eduardo Taran, however, was an experienced diver as well as an employee at Vortex Spring. Ed Sorenson, an experienced diver who owns a dive shop, searched the spring scrupulously. "It would have affected his ability to breathe adequately.". #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. Richard and fellow diver John Volanthen were the first divers to reach the stranded group in an underground network in Chiang Rai province ahead of their successful rescue. FOIA The cave diving death of Dave Shaw is a multilayered tragedy. It would be impossible to go through that restriction without making a mark on the floor or ceiling. The authorities said it was too dangerous to retrieve their bodies, but four . Neither of the divers had any obvious signs of trauma and both appeared to have the appropriate diving equipment. GO NO FARTHER. 1) Karen Thurston "Cave diver feared dead in accident" Tallahassee Democrat May 16, 1988. Ben Reymenants, a Belgian cave diver who operates a dive shop in Thailand, was part of the group that first found the boys on Monday, after more than a week of searching. Today, we're covering the true scary story of deep cave diver Dave Shaw. However, you might think that when 2 workers left for coffee without waiting for Ben, he couldRead more . Cave diver suffered worst death imaginable after getting trapped upside down. They didnt want to risk their lives, understandably. [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. RAID continues to explain that the most common . Afterwards, she and her husband Robert McClellan, both certified cave divers and documentary filmmakers, went to Vortex Spring to make a short video. Other divers, and an official with International Underwater Cave Rescue and Recovery, told him it was too dangerous to search any deeper into the cave. And that he is dead. 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. Would you like email updates of new search results? 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. About a week later concrete was poured into the main opening of the cave, sealing John inside forever. On November 24, the group ventured into the Nutty Putty Cave, a popular spelunking spot known for its tight twists . Dive-related fatalities among tourist and local divers in the northern Croatian littoral (1980-2010). Today, we're covering the true scary story of deep cave diver Dave Shaw. The juveniles believed the discussion was in regards to going back down into the cave and whether or not they had enough air in their tanks to complete their dive, the sheriffs office added. [2], They did, however, find some of his equipment. March 31, 2016 / 5:35 PM / AP. While Ben frequented the spring, he never received sufficient training and wasnt considered an experienced diver. official website and that any information you provide is encrypted It is unknown at this time if all the equipment was working properly, the sheriffs office added. Kelly said shortly afterwards that on that evening, a man he described as "wild-eyed" and apparently drunk showed up at the shop and asked if it was too late to dive; the possibility has been raised that this man, if he existed, may have been involved. His parents and girlfriend say the move was proving beneficial, as Ben was beginning to think and talk about moving on from his recent personal setbacks. Perhaps his body had been secretly removed from the cave before searching began and disposed of on land or it had washed out through the spring's outlet. Diving instruction is offered for all levels; experienced divers come for the underwater wildlife and the cavern, which begins 58 feet (18m) below the surface. Undersea Hyperb Med. 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. 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. Consequently he was fined, and sentenced to seven years of probation. [1][2] The state of Florida issued his family a death certificate in 2013. Deon Dreyer was a South African recreational scuba diver who died in Bushman's Hole, or also known as Boesmansgat cave, in South Africa's Northern Cape. By Phil Helsel. [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. The teens, who arrived at the park earlier that morning, had talked with the two divers before the men got into the water, authorities said. [10] At the entrance is a sign depicting the Grim Reaper which warns divers of the dangers of continuing onwards. Belgian Ben Reymenants runs a dive shop in Phuket. While underwa. BBC World Service. 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. "It's a really tight spot, but we've been able to get around him. By that point John had been hanging upside down for more than eight hours. 2023 Cable News Network. HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help Using investigative research combined with primary audio, Morbidology takes an in-depth look at true crime cases from all across the world. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Despite nearly nonstop dives by more than 16 recovery divers over a 36 day period, no traces of Ben were ever found.This video is the main reason why I started this channel. [2], Ben's truck was still in the parking lot the next morning, but with many summer visitors coming to enjoy the site's many water-based recreational opportunities and picnic grounds in addition to diving, the employees said they were too busy to notice. June 23, 2022, 4:27 PM PDT. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. . Lengthy searches have only located some anomalously placed and filled decompression tanks; many of the divers who took part in those searches believe that if McDaniel is indeed dead, his body is not in the cave as he was too large to enter its narrower passages. Two days later, it was noticed that Bens car was still in the parking lot where it had remained for the past two days. Lowell Kelly, who had owned Vortex Spring since 2007, was facing criminal charges. Ben went into Vortex Spring on August 18th, 2010 and was never seen or heard from again. John's brother Josh was the first to find him, and tried pulling at his calves but was unsuccessful. Was it an accident? Prevent your death!' said sign at Florida underwater cave. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); document.getElementById("ak_js_2").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); My husband used to dive that. The cave steadily narrows, reaching a makeshift rebar gate with a chain and padlock, at a point almost 300 feet (91m) from the entrance. Undercurrent, 1988 . Ben Died and his body was removed as to not cause too much bad press for the spring.3. The SEALs and other Thais inside hurried to clear Chamber 3. According to CaveDivers.com.au, 368 cave divers died between 1969 and 2007. Shane Thompson, an experienced scuba diver with a passion for cave explorations, died at the Blue Hole State Park when the 43-year-old father and husband got lost and trapped in an unmarked . June 27, 2022 2:41pm. Before There were some rather distasteful discussions as well, things that nobody really wanted to do," Sgt Cannon said. Epub 2012 Jul 18. John's brother Josh was the first to find him, and tried pulling at his calves but was unsuccessful. 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. When the footage was reviewed, his team realized that Dave had captured his last moments underwater attempting to free Deon Dreyer from the depths of the cave. A text message was sent to Edd Sorenson, a veteran cave diver and recovery specialist with nearly 2,500 logged dives. Cadaver dogs picked up a scent along the bank of the spring as well as one in the water but when county health departments sampled the water, they found no indication of a spike in bacteria consistent with decomposition. Death of Dave Shaw is a sign depicting the Grim ben cave diving death which warns divers of the dangers of continuing.... Ben 's Vortex, released in 2012 afterwards at the entrance to Nutty Putty cave, sealing inside... 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