Ed Sorenson, an experienced diver who owns a dive shop, searched the spring scrupulously. On the 18th of August, 2010, Ben McDaniel dived into an underwater cave at Vortex Springs in Florida, never to be seen again. BlueTrin; Jan 18, 2020; 2 3 4. The .gov means its official. They were eventually able to partially free him using a rope-pulley system. 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. Ben drowned in an unknown section of the cave, or inside of the fissure.2. The main causes of death have been drowning when cave diving, drowning as the result of flooding or negotiating deep water, injuries incurred from falling from a height, and injuries incurred as the result of rock falls.In ten cases the bodies have not been recovered. In the late 2000s Ben McDaniel was going through a difficult period in his life. A decade later, while on a dive at the same site, Shaw found Dreyer's missing body. He had first taken it up at the age of 15, practicing with his tanks in the family pool. (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. Several posters on scubaboard.com leaned towards this theory, adding that hes probably living it up in Mexico. At 46, Brod was a highly regarded diver, a gruff, opinionated man who as a boy in El Campo had swum along . He soon realized that very few divers "in the world" possessed the training and skill to attempt such a dangerous cave diving recovery. Eduardo later passed a lie detector test. In the 1990s, 13 divers perished in the cave. About a week later concrete was poured into the main opening of the cave, sealing John inside forever. The McDaniel family hired Lynn-Marie Carty, a private investigator. Cave diver suffered worst death imaginable after getting trapped upside down. 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. They hired a Florida private investigator, Lynn-Marie Carty, who found that other people associated with Vortex Spring besides Kelly had criminal records. you'd be dead a long time ago," diver Ben Reymenants, who was part of the rescue mission, says. Ben's brother who supposedly died from a stroke, actually died from a drug overdose; according to one pathologist there wasn't the slightest sign of a stroke. DandyDon; May 18, 2022; 5 6 7. Hmmmm! 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 . 186. 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. Trained cave divers who died in the most recent time period were older but little else differed. and transmitted securely. Two other tanks, lacking regulators, were attached to the "talk box" in the outer cavern area, (Piano Room) where the talk box was located at the time. Lie detector test are easily beatable if you know how. 2015 Sep;45(3):147-53. Around 7:30p.m., as the sun began to set, he went in again. While investigating, she found some unsavoury characters associated with the Vortex Spring. After seven dives, he apologized to the McDaniels for not finding any fresh sign of Ben. FOIA Unsworth said the water was too murky to see and on June 25, Thai Navy SEALs tried the same . [18], In March 2012, by which time the reward had been increased to $30,000, the fears of the cave divers were realized. Everyone was relieved but then there was a heartbreaking twist. The sheriffs office said the investigation into the deaths is ongoing. Lowell Kelly, who had owned Vortex Spring since 2007, was facing criminal charges. [1], In 2011 Kelly ameliorated the charges against him by pleading no contest. There were some rather distasteful discussions as well, things that nobody really wanted to do," Sgt Cannon said. [2] The insinuation of cowardice alienated divers who had already risked their lives searching the cave,[17] and raised fears among them that it would only encourage untrained divers to enter the cave and take potentially fatal risks for the reward money. John Edward Jones, 26, was a medical student and experienced spelunker who went cave diving with a group of friends while visiting family in Utah for Thanksgiving in 2009. reopened in 2003 amid pressure from the National Association for Cave Divers and the National Speleological Society Cave Diving . John left behind his wife Emily and their baby daughter Lizzie. McDaniel, who had been diving regularly at the spring while living in his parents' nearby beach house, had last been seen by two of those employees on the evening of August 18, on a dive entering a cave 58 feet (18m) below the water's surface. 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. "It's a really tight spot, but we've been able to get around him. DAN Annual Diving Report 2019 Edition: A report on 2017 diving fatalities, injuries, and incidents [Internet]. His doomed final dive was caught on camera. While Ben frequented the spring, he never received sufficient training and wasnt considered an experienced diver. Ten people, including two who were found Monday, have had fatal incidents inside the Eagle's Nest cave dive area in Western Florida since 1981. The Hernando County Sheriff's Office shared this photo of the area near the Buford Springs Cave where the two cave divers died. "Due to the circumstances with his body being held the way it was and being wedged, it was most likely difficult to get a full deep breath," Sgt Cannon said. GO NO FARTHER. $50,000), and still deeply affected by the 2008 death of his younger brother Paul from a stroke. His body was found the next day after he, too, had failed to return from a dive. According to CaveDivers.com.au, 368 cave divers died between 1969 and 2007. March 31, 2016 / 5:35 PM / AP. The site is secure. All Rights Reserved. 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. Stemberga V, Petaros A, Rasic V, Azman J, Sosa I, Coklo M, Uhac I, Bosnar A. J Travel Med. This is the dark truth about cave diving. Did you encounter any technical issues? John decided to try and find the formation known as the Birth Canal, an incredibly narrow vertical passage. Diving Hyperb Med. 2) Steve Gerrard "We Lost Our Friend" NACO News May-June 1988, (20)3, pgs. An experienced California diver who was helping with the exploration of the narrow underwater passageways that radiate from a well-known swimming hole . Rescuers began a different approach, using air-powered tools to chip away at some of the rock surrounding John. Ben reached the locked gate at the entrance to the cave; only experienced divers were given a key to the lock. He inched his way into the Birth Canal head first, wiggling forward using his hips, stomachs and fingers. [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. Emily was also expecting their second child at the time, a boy who was born the following year and named after his dad. Ben would have been aware of this requirement, if he had been researching cave diving, as his parents reported. The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The incident was reported on Divernet, although at . The McDaniels have vehemently rejected that theory, pointing to the dog and girlfriend he left behind as well as doubting that he would have knowingly subjected them to that level of grief after seeing how his brother's death had affected them. 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. To this day, they havent given up hope that one day Ben, dead or alive, shall be found. [4] A reward they offered was rescinded in 2012 after the death of another diver who may have been trying to collect it, vindicating the criticism of the divers who had warned of that possibility and resented the McDaniels' insinuation that those who had searched for their son at great personal risk had not been "brave" enough.[5]. The state barred entrance to the sinkhole in 1999, reported the Tampa Bay Times, and it was later reopened in 2003 amid pressure from the National Association for Cave Divers and the National . 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. The spring consists of a 200ft basin which leads to an underground cave system. Eduardo Taran, however, was an experienced diver as well as an employee at Vortex Spring. He was given an IV drip and some food and water, and was even able to speak to his wife over a police radio. "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. He was on a yacht in the Bahamas, leading an expedition. Ben Died and his body was removed as to not cause too much bad press for the spring.3. On Saturday, June 23, 2018, 12 members of a local Thai football team, who were between the ages of 11 and 16, and their 25-year-old assistant coach, entered the Tham Luang Nang Non cave for a day . Introduction: He called his mother on his cell phone, the last contact he had with his family. Last modified on Fri 14 Jul 2017 15.42 EDT. "It's a really tight spot, but we've been able to get around him. They hired Steve Keene, who had originally mapped the Vortex Spring cave in 2003, to look. "[1], In mid-August, four months into his Florida sojourn, Ben returned to Tennessee for a week. In the middle of the day, he did one dive. Larsa Pippen Is 'In Love' With Marcus Jordan And Swears Dad Michael Is Cool With Their Relationship! Rescuers from the Utah County Sheriff's Office arrived and began a complicated extraction attempt, made worse by the fact that John was in "absolutely the worst spot in the cave". Former Firefighter Richard Stanton played a crucial role in the Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand in 2018. [1], But then during the research process, she was able to read Ben's dive logs and the map he had made. Even experienced ones have died there. On the weekend of August 1415, he returned to Florida, leaving behind a letter thanking his parents for the sabbatical and promising to look after them as they grew older. For those who are willing to push boundaries to the absolute limits. Very interesting. "It's very narrow, very awkward, and it's difficult to get rescuers down there," rescuer Shawn Roundy told media at the time. The cave diving death of Dave Shaw is a multilayered tragedy. By that point John had been hanging upside down for more than eight hours. Updated: Jun 24, 2022 / 04:53 AM EDT. He told them he was working on getting certified as an instructor so he could find a job and that he was researching cave diving with an eye toward getting that certification as well. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Vortex Spring is a popular vacation destination hours away from the hustle and bustle of Orlando and Disney World. One of the employees, Chuck Cronin, believed that while McDaniel had the proper equipment and considerable diving knowledge, he was often overly confident in his abilities and not shy about saying so. He wriggled through minuscule crevices that Ben (who stood at 61) would have been much too large to fit through but he was determined to search every single inch of the cave system. 2 Coincidentally, Lowell died under suspicious circumstances two years after Ben disappeared. He was wearing a dive mask, fins, and a wet suit. BBC World Service. Cave diving is for the most adventurous of scuba divers. 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About a week later concrete was poured into the main opening of the cave, sealing John inside forever. Two days later, it was noticed that Ben's car was still in the . Nevertheless, police refused to treat it as a homicide, much to the dismay of Lynn-Marie Carty. An inquest has heard how a cave-diver in Cumbria drowned close to the surface early last year, after a problem was thought to have occurred with his rebreather, a unit under development. The cave steadily narrows, reaching a makeshift rebar gate with a chain and padlock, at a point almost 300 feet (91m) from the entrance. Data regarding trained cave divers were divided into two equal 15-year time periods. His diving career started back in 1995 in the Pacific Northwest that sparked a new passion for the world beneath the water's surface. New posts Search forums. 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. Members of a specialized cave diving rescue team responded to the scene and found the second diver, also deceased, more than 130 feet below the surface, authorities said. "If I had to guess his son suffered from some horrible narcosis. While underwa. 2. Cave divers usually place extra "air" tanks, needed for decompression, at points along their exit route so they can follow them out, and not only at the entrance to the cave. Ben's tanks, wet suit and other diving equipment were not present and there were no signs of a struggle near his truck or anywhere else he could have been. [2], Cronin and fellow employee Eduardo Taran, on their way back from a dive themselves something they often did on Wednesdays after the shop closed saw Ben as he began descending, with his lights on and wearing a helmet, suggesting he was venturing into the cave. John's brother Josh was the first to find him, and tried pulling at his calves but was unsuccessful. Yesterday at 8:16 AM. "I simply see no reasonable evidence that he is NOT in the cave," the Commercial Appeal quoted her as writing in an email. if Ben wanted to end his life this way, then why would he go back to his parents and leave a note thanking them for giving him a chance, because he could have just dealt himself a fatal blow in the city where he lived before, my theory is that Ben wanted to end his life with- because of debts or problems at work, as he wanted to become a diver and get consent to penetrate the same narrow passages as professional divers. They hoped to show it to the McDaniel family in the hopes of giving them a better understanding of the risks associated with cave diving, and "closure", as Heinerth put it. [22], By 2011, it seemed unlikely that Ben's body would be found in the cave. He inched his way into the Birth Canal head first, wiggling forward using his hips, stomachs and fingers. June 23, 2022, 4:27 PM PDT. apparently ascent attack attempted autopsy beach became boat body bottom breathing buddy California cardiac cardiovascular cause of death cave diving cavern certified coast cold water completed condition considerable continue coronary course currents depth Despite died diving fatalities double fatality drop . The . [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. [1][2], The cadaver dogs searched the woods around Vortex Spring without success. On a hot August night, Ben McDaniel attempted the adventure of a lifetime. [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. His only option was to keep moving forward, and exhaled the air from his chest so he could fit through the "L-shaped pinpoint" which was just 10 inches across and 18 inches high. "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.". According to the BBC, local officials had given up . 7. We and our partners use cookies on this site to improve our service, perform analytics, personalize advertising, measure advertising performance, and remember website preferences. His parents and girlfriend, Emily Greer, said he seemed optimistic. A spelunker is somebody who explores caves as a hobby. 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. 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. By Johnny Diaz. It's technical diving at its most technical. Yes, Thai Cave Rescue is based on the true story of the rescue of 12 Thai boys from youth soccer team the Wild Boars and their coach from the Tham Luang Cave, between June 23 and July 10, 2018. This forum is for the discussion of diving Accidents and Incidents and has. Scuba diving is a safe sport. [15], By Sunday, August 22, no other signs of Ben had been found. 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 . Unauthorized use of these marks is strictly prohibited. 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. I did a search for it but didn't find anything posted..the fact of not knowing if he ever came out of the cave or not is what I find most compelling. He had allegedly taken a temporary employee who he said owed him thousands of dollars out into an isolated wooded area and attempted to beat him with a baseball bat to make him pay up. They did see the truck the next morning. Harris RJ, Frawley G, Devaney BC, Fock A, Jones AB. The worst thing that you can do when you realize something is going wrong is to panic. Earlier that day, a diver had had a confrontation with several teenagers on the property about their drinking; they eventually left but may have come back in an attempt to exact revenge. Ben had endured a failed marriage and a bankrupted construction company that left him despondent. On November 24, the group ventured into the Nutty Putty Cave, a popular spelunking spot known for its tight twists, turns and crawls. Authorities in Florida are investigating the deaths of two cave divers at a wildlife park, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office said. 1:10 AM EDT, Fri June 24, 2022. John decided to try and find the formation known as the Birth Canal, an incredibly narrow vertical passage. A decades-old mystery surrounding the death of a Florida cave diver has been solved by a simple experiment by three scientists in a lab at Florida State. [5], The following month, amid increasing criticism, the McDaniels rescinded the reward offer. A well planned hoax? We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. She realized that he had, in fact, gotten very far into the cave. He was also still grieving for his younger brother Paul, a frequent rock climbing partner during their youth, who died in 2008 at the age of 22 from a stroke. Veteran Cave diver Brett Hemphill believes it was likely a painless death. The McDaniels were called, and they drove to Florida, along with Greer, to observe from the shore. There were no marks on the limestone where a divers helmet or tank would have scraped the cave ceiling. His only option was to keep moving forward, and exhaled the air from his chest so he could fit through the "L-shaped pinpoint" which was just 10 inches across and 18 inches high. Prevent your death!' said sign at Florida underwater cave. [1], Shelby does not believe Ben had any intention of abandoning his life. Authorities began to consider these possibilities and adjust their search. July 1 - The progress of Belgian cave diver Ben Reymenants and engineers pumping out water convince them to stay. Disclaimer. The man escaped, and prosecutors later charged Kelly with assault and kidnapping in the incident. Four died in the hole ( . There are millions of possible ways to die, some less pleasant than others. He had a failed marriage and financial trouble. Warning: Do not read this story if you're claustrophobic. Zacaton is the deepest of five ceynotes located on a large ranch, El Rancho Asufrosa, in northeastern Mexico. And that he is dead. . 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. Seig Lu. Would you like email updates of new search results? Teacher with prosthetic Z-cup breast FINALLY put on leave. Or, perhaps he had been found dead by the dive shop staff, who feared the consequences of that discovery. At the entrance to the cave is a sign depicting the Grim Reaper. Ben Davison. It was risky work, and one diver said they had nearly died during the search. That's right, the second most dangerous extreme sports by death rate statistics, cave diving. "It would have affected his ability to breathe adequately.". Unanswered Questions", "Mississippi Man Killed in Cave Diving Accident", "Questions remain about Lowell Kelly's death", "Parents of lost diver pin hopes for closure on team of dogs", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Disappearance_of_Ben_McDaniel&oldid=1104006595, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 12 August 2022, at 01:54. Multiple divers searched through the weekend, but did not find Ben. One of the divers is believed to have mentioned that he possibly had a leak in his tank.. [4] (Due to technical issues, it was unable to go any farther than the human divers had ventured. 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. He was given an IV drip and some food and water, and was even able to speak to his wife over a police radio. PMC [19], There was no explicit evidence that Higginbotham was trying to find Ben and claim the reward. Cave diver David John Shaw (Dave Shaw) died more than 10 years later whilst attempting to retrieve Dreyer's cadaver. Armed with flashlights, they searched the spring. That being said, cave diving comes with heightened risk. [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). Without a body, closure is impossible. Authorities identified the two divers as Todd Richard McKenna, 52, and Stephen Roderick Gambrell, 63. Two days before the Investigation Discovery cable channel series Disappeared aired a segment on Ben's case, a diver from Biloxi, Mississippi, Larry Higginbotham, died in the cavern at Vortex Spring. In 2004, Dave Shaw completed a record-breaking dive at Bushman's Hole. Deputies were alerted Wednesday afternoon after one . October 23, 2022 7:16 pm. 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). Josh had no choice but to leave his brother and work his way out of the cave, where he called for help. Neither of the divers had any obvious signs of trauma and both appeared to have the appropriate diving equipment. But after more than 24 hours trapped upside down, the pressure and stress on his body became too much. [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. With Greer, to look Fri 14 Jul 2017 15.42 EDT about week... 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Dead or alive, shall be found in the some of the rock surrounding John body would be found the... Devaney BC, Fock a, Jones AB if you 're claustrophobic you realize something going... - the progress of Belgian cave diver suffered worst death imaginable after getting trapped upside down Ben to! Characters associated with the exploration of the cave, August 22, no other signs Ben... Luang cave rescue in Thailand in 2018 with assault and kidnapping in the Bahamas, an! Of Health and Human Services ( HHS ) Spring scrupulously, leading an expedition Jun,! Lowell Kelly, who found that other people associated with Vortex Spring since 2007, was criminal! 5:35 PM / AP drove to Florida, along with Greer, to observe from the.... Searched through the weekend, but we 've been able to get around him while on a large,. Divers were divided into two equal 15-year time periods Lynn-Marie Carty later Kelly... Of Dave Shaw completed a record-breaking dive at Bushman & # x27 s. # x27 ; s right, the last contact he had with his family 7:30p.m.. For a week later concrete was poured into the cave, sealing John forever.