In addition, he incurred a hefty tax debt (est. Deputies were alerted Wednesday afternoon after one . 0:00. 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. Over the forthcoming years, experienced divers continued to search the spring for any sign of Ben at the request of his parents who had offered a reward. About a week later concrete was poured into the main opening of the cave, sealing John inside forever. Based on these circumstances, police and dive shop employees assumed that he had never resurfaced and had in all probability drowned somewhere in the cave trying to get out. Two days later, when a worker at Vortex Spring noticed that Ben's truck was still in the parking lot, the Holmes County Sheriffs Office were called, and a recovery effort started. [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. It was risky work, and one diver said they had nearly died during the search. By that point John had been hanging upside down for more than eight hours. "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.". He's not in there. 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. He said the muddy current . 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. That's right, the second most dangerous extreme sports by death rate statistics, cave diving. "Ben was fearless. 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). 1 This location was perfect for Ben, who was an avid diver. The Hernando County Sheriff's Office shared this photo of the area near the Buford Springs Cave where the two cave divers died. advertisement. [7], The McDaniels suggested their son take a sabbatical, offering to support him financially while he and his dog, a chocolate Labrador he had rescued, lived in the family's beach home at Santa Rosa Beach on the Emerald Coast of the Florida Panhandle. Others, including Cronin and Kelly, suggested he had staged his own disappearance to start his life over under another identity and escape his past troubles. [1], Upon arrival, the sheriff's deputies sealed off the spring with crime-scene tape. Larsa Pippen Is 'In Love' With Marcus Jordan And Swears Dad Michael Is Cool With Their Relationship! No one is known to have seen him since. In 2004, Dave Shaw completed a record-breaking dive at Bushman's Hole. A few years ago there was a famous cave diving death, the disappearance of Ben McDaniel in Vortex Springs. 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". Cave diving is perilous at the best of times but Tham Luang presents its own extreme challenges. [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. 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. Training status, safety rules violated, relevancy of the violations, and root causes leading to death were determined. While divers couldnt find Ben, they did find two decompression tanks which are left by divers as they ascend to avoid decompression sickness. Simon Halliday, 49, from Clitheroe, Lancs, died at Lancaster Hole near Kirkby Lonsdale on 4 January, 2020. They went through their very long decompression burdened by the "mental horror that just took place.". While police had already searched the spring, there were certain passages that they refused to search because it was much too dangerous and they werent experienced enough. 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. 2. Updated "It's very narrow, very awkward, and it's difficult to get rescuers down there," rescuer Shawn Roundy told media at the time. After seven dives, he apologized to the McDaniels for not finding any fresh sign of Ben. Things hadnt been going so well for Ben recently and he needed some time to clear his head. 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. But within minutes he realised he was stuck, with no room to turn around or even go backwards. John decided to try and find the formation known as the Birth Canal, an incredibly narrow vertical passage. "[1], In mid-August, four months into his Florida sojourn, Ben returned to Tennessee for a week. Undersea Hyperb Med. A Warner Bros. BlueTrin; Jan 18, 2020; 2 3 4. Updated: Jun 24, 2022 / 04:53 AM EDT. "It's a really tight spot, but we've been able to get around him. On his nights out with Greer, he told her of plans to eventually start a diving-related business. 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. 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. [1][2], The cadaver dogs searched the woods around Vortex Spring without success. 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. They are adamant that he wouldnt do something so cruel to them. Morbidology is a weekly true crime podcast created and hosted by Emily G. Thompson. 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. Even experienced ones have died there. 2 Coincidentally, Lowell died under suspicious circumstances two years after Ben disappeared. Teacher with prosthetic Z-cup breast FINALLY put on leave. 7. 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. [9], For the most experienced divers, some of whom come from around the world, the main attraction of Vortex Spring is the cave, which starts 300 feet (91m) from the cavern, at a depth of 115 feet (35m). 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. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. An official website of the United States government. Privacy Policy. On November 24, the group ventured into the Nutty Putty Cave, a popular spelunking spot known for its tight twists, turns and crawls. This was the last time Ben was ever seen. [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. March 31, 2016 / 5:35 PM / AP. He followed his passions. 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 . 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. Accessibility Richard William Stanton (R) speaks to John Volanthen (L back to camera) at the Tham Luang cave area. Normally, because cave diving is so dangerous, it's logical to think that he experienced an unfortunate accident while diving. Cave diver David John Shaw (Dave Shaw) died more than 10 years later whilst attempting to retrieve Dreyer's cadaver. Today, we're covering the true scary story of deep cave diver Dave Shaw. Other than the two tanks, there was no sign of Ben: no dive mask, no fins, no wet suit, no body. CNN . An estimated 92,000 people died at the camp, according to the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem. Ben reached the locked gate at the entrance to the cave; only experienced divers were given a key to the lock. There were some rather distasteful discussions as well, things that nobody really wanted to do," Sgt Cannon said. A spelunker is somebody who explores caves as a hobby. BBC World Service. In the 1990s, 13 divers perished in the cave. Nevertheless, police refused to treat it as a homicide, much to the dismay of Lynn-Marie Carty. Replies 62 Views . [1], More detailed information regarding tanks was given in the Ben's Vortex documentary. It contains a warning to divers of the consequences of diving past that point: PREVENT YOUR DEATH. Training status, safety rules violated, relevancy of the violations, and root causes leading to death were determined. Taran, who had suspected for some time that Ben was forcing the gate open, went down to him and unlocked it, watching Ben go in and then returning to Cronin. [15], By Sunday, August 22, no other signs of Ben had been found. One of the divers is believed to have mentioned that he possibly had a leak in his tank.. 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. Replies 39 Views 2,017. The site is secure. 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. Ben was murdered and his body disposed of.4. 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. 8600 Rockville Pike Bookshelf He was descending down towards the cave which starts 300 feet from the cavern. The water was rising up the cave wall, and Rob returned through the rapidly filling S-bend, so he wouldn't get trapped without diving gear. Med Sport Sci. 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. A spelunker is somebody who explores caves as a hobby. When tested, the tanks were found to contain normal air, not the specialized gas mix required for diving at depth. Here is another one from "Disappeared". Two days later, it was noticed that Bens car was still in the parking lot where it had remained for the past two days. [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. "It's a really tight spot, but we've been able to get around him. Others theorise he faked his own death. [10] At the entrance is a sign depicting the Grim Reaper which warns divers of the dangers of continuing onwards. 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. Authorities began to consider these possibilities and adjust their search. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 1) Karen Thurston "Cave diver feared dead in accident" Tallahassee Democrat May 16, 1988. While Ben frequented the spring, he never received sufficient training and wasnt considered an experienced diver. 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 . Despite living on the coast during his sabbatical, he preferred to dive in fresh water, becoming a frequent visitor to Vortex Spring, located inland a short distance north of Ponce de Leon. At the time she believed that Ben, whatever his fate, was not in the cave's depths. "If I had to guess his son suffered from some horrible narcosis. Thirty separate tests of the water over the next several months showed no sign of an increase in the bacteria that would indicate the presence of a decomposing human body. But when John breathed in again, his chest expanded and he was wedged inside for good. He was found unresponsive at his home after suffering blunt force trauma to the head. John Edward Jones, 26, was a medical student and experienced spelunker (someone who explores caves as a hobby) who went cave diving with a group of friends while visiting family in Utah for Thanksgiving in 2009. 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][1] Beginning at the gate, over 1,600 feet (490m) through the area's limestone bedrock have been mapped, to a depth of 310 feet (94m); the cave's full extent is unknown. , with no room to turn around or even go backwards point John had hanging. 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