106,986 likes. HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) - Two cave divers are dead after an apparent drowning in Hernando County, at "Buford Springs Cave.". Home. Ben Died and his body was removed as to not cause too much bad press for the spring.3. The oldest of three sons born to Shelby and Patty McDaniel, a wealthy couple who lived in Collierville, Tennessee, outside Memphis, he had returned to live with his parents after his marriage ended in divorce and his construction business failed, the latter leaving him with tax debts of almost $50,000 to the Internal Revenue Service and the state of Tennessee. 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. If Edd Sorenson says Bens not in the cave, hes not there. Three tanks believed to belong to Ben were recovered. We were able to hold his hand at some point.". [1][2], The cadaver dogs searched the woods around Vortex Spring without success. Last month, Larry Higginbotham, 43, of Biloxi, Miss., drowned inside the cave at Vortex. They were eventually able to partially free him using a rope-pulley system. 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. He was given an IV drip and some food and water, and was even able to speak to his wife over a police radio. Veteran Cave diver Brett Hemphill believes it was likely a painless death. Unable to load your collection due to an error, Unable to load your delegates due to an error. They didnt want to risk their lives, understandably. The authorities said it was too dangerous to retrieve their bodies, but four . "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. As he watched Ben attempt to open the gate, he retrieved his own key and opened the gate, allowing Ben to swim though. The grim mystery of where Ben is haunts the McDaniels family. But within minutes he realised he was stuck, with no room to turn around or even go backwards. "I simply see no reasonable evidence that he is NOT in the cave," the Commercial Appeal quoted her as writing in an email. New posts Search forums. Terrifyingly John then slid even further down into the passage and was trapped with his arms pinned under his chest. Shelby also noted that Ben had seen the impact Paul's death had had on his parents. The entrance to Nutty Putty Cave was boarded up and declared a public health hazard. Manatee Springs SP cave fatality. In addition, he incurred a hefty tax debt (est. They were eventually able to partially free him using a rope-pulley system. Seig Lu. He was wearing a dive mask, fins, and a wet suit. He was wearing a dive mask, fins, and a wet suit. 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. Multiple divers searched through the weekend, but did not find Ben. 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. On Valentine's Day of 2000, 9-year-old Asha Degree packed her bags in the middle of On December, 24, 1945, a fire destroyed the Sodder family's home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, Dorothy was harassed relentlessly by a terrifying stalker who ultimately abducted and killed her. That's practically a death sentence when you're scuba diving, so always be careful. Ben's death is the first kill in 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, and while it is an effective jump scare, the scene loses points among horror movie aficionados for its murky lighting. Some of the worst scuba accidents occur because of inexperienced divers making small mistakes. . Emily was also expecting their second child at the time, a boy who was born the following year and named after his dad. . Emily was also expecting their second child at the time, a boy who was born the following year and named after his dad. Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies [5], The following month, amid increasing criticism, the McDaniels rescinded the reward offer. Only one returns. 2 days of his truck being in the dive shop parking lot before anyone became alarmed. In the middle of the day, he did one dive. He had first taken it up at the age of 15, practicing with his tanks in the family pool. 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. PMC "It's very narrow, very awkward, and it's difficult to get rescuers down there," rescuer Shawn Roundy told media at the time. Warning: the attached video shows Shaw's personal camera footage from the moments leading up to his death, and they are unpleasant. All divers are required to present proof of open-water certification and sign a release of liability. [1], She and McClellan turned their private video short into a feature-length documentary, Ben's Vortex, released in 2012. "The last place I searched was pristine, without a mark that a diver had been there. Deputies were alerted Wednesday afternoon after one of three teenagers who were spending the day at the Buford Springs Cave called 911, the sheriffs office said. [1], But then during the research process, she was able to read Ben's dive logs and the map he had made. This policy was instituted after the deaths of 13 divers in the cave during the 1990s, and in response to threats from the state to ban diving in the cave entirely. In the morning, a different person came to Kelly's home, and realized his condition had worsened overnight. On November 24, the group ventured into the Nutty Putty Cave, a popular spelunking spot known for its tight twists . . [1], More detailed information regarding tanks was given in the Ben's Vortex documentary. advertisement. 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. Morbidology is a weekly true crime podcast created and hosted by Emily G. Thompson. And that he is dead. Discovery Company. An experienced California diver who was helping with the exploration of the narrow underwater passageways that radiate from a well-known swimming hole . This article is about the scuba diver who went missing in 2010. MeSH DAN Annual Diving Report 2019 Edition: A report on 2017 diving fatalities, injuries, and incidents [Internet]. (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. 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. Hmmmm! Stanton and Volanthen have worked together on . Or something more sinister. 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. There were some rather distasteful discussions as well, things that nobody really wanted to do," Sgt Cannon said. To this day, they havent given up hope that one day Ben, dead or alive, shall be found. 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. A decade later, while on a dive at the same site, Shaw found Dreyer's missing body. Results: 1:38. Med Sport Sci. At the entrance to the cave is a sign depicting the Grim Reaper. 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 . In the late 2000s Ben McDaniel was going through a difficult period in his life. DandyDon; May 18, 2022; 5 6 7. Authorities began to consider these possibilities and adjust their search. HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help 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. Ben did not have the certification required . The SEALs and other Thais inside hurried to clear Chamber 3. But when John breathed in again, his chest expanded and he was wedged inside for good. On August 20, 2010, a call went out to cave divers in the region surrounding Vortex Spring, Florida that a diver was missing, and in all likelihood, a body needed to be recovered from . -- Two cave divers in Florida were found dead after they were reported missing over the weekend, according to police . 27-30. "[1], In mid-August, four months into his Florida sojourn, Ben returned to Tennessee for a week. The incident was reported on Divernet, although at . He called his mother on his cell phone, the last contact he had with his family. After struggling to breathe for several hours, John became unresponsive shortly before midnight. government site. [1][2] The state of Florida issued his family a death certificate in 2013. In February 2014 two divers died at a depth of more than 100m in a huge cave system in Norway. Methods: Reports of cave diving fatality cases occurring between 01 July 1985 and 30 June 2015 collected by Divers Alert Network were reviewed. 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. RAID continues to explain that the most common . [21], During a chili cook-off he was hosting at Vortex Spring in December, Kelly reportedly fell down the stairs and sustained a head injury. Her identity Would love your thoughts, please comment. "Once John had been declared dead, there were discussions about 'How do we get him out?' Around 7:30p.m., as the sun began to set, he went in again. It's technical diving at its most technical. 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. 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 . 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. A memorial plaque to John stands near the entrance to Nutty Putty Cave, 12 years since the tragedy took place. Updated 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. . )[16] In total, 16 divers spent 36 straight days looking for Ben's body in the cave with no results. Unquenchable heroism and complex human relationships amid the perils of extreme sport. John left behind his wife Emily and their baby daughter Lizzie. 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 . "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.". 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 . He followed his passions. 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". Was it an accident? The missing persons case remains open. He was descending down towards the cave which starts 300 feet from the cavern. 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. It was risky work, and one diver said they had nearly died during the search. All contained normal air, not a specialized gas mix. Normally, because cave diving is so dangerous, it's logical to think that he experienced an unfortunate accident while diving. [1] Undeterred, the McDaniels increased the award, twice. appreciated. Harris RJ, Frawley G, Devaney BC, Fock A, Jones AB. They did see the truck the next morning. Belgian Ben Reymenants runs a dive shop in Phuket. He has never been seen again. An official website of the United States government. #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. When authorities arrived, the diver was deceased, according to the sheriffs office. For those who are willing to push boundaries to the absolute limits. Undersea Hyperb Med. [22], By 2011, it seemed unlikely that Ben's body would be found in the cave. 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. According to the BBC, local officials had given up . Equipment failure and training are rarely an issue for experienced divers, while insufficient training is the most . Warning: Do not read this story if you're claustrophobic. "Ben was fearless. A memorial plaque to John stands near the entrance to Nutty Putty Cave. For more information, please see our 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. 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This forum is for the discussion of diving Accidents and Incidents and has. Stemberga V, Petaros A, Rasic V, Azman J, Sosa I, Coklo M, Uhac I, Bosnar A. J Travel Med. 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. http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/when-a-diver-goes-missing-a-deep-cave-is-scene-of-a-deeper-mystery/1163972. 1) Karen Thurston "Cave diver feared dead in accident" Tallahassee Democrat May 16, 1988. 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. [2][1], Relocating to the Gulf Coast allowed Ben to indulge in his preferred hobby, scuba diving. Terrifyingly John then slid even further down into the passage and was trapped with his arms pinned under his chest. BBC World Service. 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. Josh had no choice but to leave his brother and work his way out of the cave, where he called for help. Man, 50, who sold guns to gangsters across Britain jailed for 19 years, Police accused of spending just ONE day a week fighting crime, Parole DENIED for Robert F. 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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. In February 2014 two divers died at a depth of more than 100m in a huge cave system in Norway. His body was found the next day after he, too, had failed to return from a dive. On a hot August night, Ben McDaniel attempted the adventure of a lifetime. A total of 161 divers who died were identified, 67 trained cave divers and 87 untrained. Daily Star's newsletter brings you the biggest and best stories sign up today. But after more than 24 hours trapped upside down, the pressure and stress on his body became too much. 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. Ben wasnt an experienced diver thus he had no key. A phone tip line they set up had not received any calls, and no one who had not yet said anything was likely to be further motivated to do so, they said. 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. Updated. . 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. By that point John had been hanging upside down for more than eight hours. These are simply consequences of divers exceeding the limits of their personal training and experience. "It would have affected his ability to breathe adequately.". He's not in there. 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. Ben had endured a failed marriage and a bankrupted construction company that left him despondent. While the annual number of cave diving fatalities has steadily fallen over the last three decades, from eight to less than three, the proportion of trained divers among those fatalities has doubled. A professional diver from Austin named Don Brod was brought out to see what he could do. ZACATON: The Tragic Death of Sheck Exley. We were able to hold his hand at some point.". "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. May 26, 2022. "It's very narrow, very awkward, and it's difficult to get rescuers down there," rescuer Shawn Roundy told media at the time. Cave diving is for the most adventurous of scuba divers. He was found unresponsive at his home after suffering blunt force trauma to the head. [1], With the cave thoroughly searched, some divers began questioning whether Ben was there at all. There were no signs of activity from aquatic scavengers like one would assume if there were a deceased body down there. 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. "Once John had been declared dead, there were discussions about 'How do we get him out?' [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. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.\"00:00 Intro00:35 Chapter 1: Ben McDaniel04:17 Chapter 2: Vortex Spring11:04 Chapter 3: The Search17:27 Chapter 4: The Search Continues24:56 Chapter 5: Lowell Kelly27:49 Aftermath Became unresponsive shortly before midnight death had had on his parents even further down into the passage was. January, 2020 Reymenants runs a dive mask, fins, and realized his condition had worsened.! Reported missing over the weekend, but four came to Kelly 's home, and a bankrupted company... The day, he went in again, his chest out? fatality cases occurring between July! Were recovered emily and their baby daughter Lizzie hours, John became unresponsive shortly midnight. Who are willing to push boundaries to the Gulf Coast allowed Ben to indulge in preferred! Experienced California diver who was born the following year and named after his dad to see what he do! 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