The British cave diver who led the rescue of the Thai boys' soccer team and personally saved the captain, Duangpetch Promthep, has opened up about the heartbreaking death of the 17-year-old. 1) Karen Thurston "Cave diver feared dead in accident" Tallahassee Democrat May 16, 1988. [1], She and McClellan turned their private video short into a feature-length documentary, Ben's Vortex, released in 2012. [2], McDaniel's dives at the site were regular enough that the dive shop employees and other frequent visitors came to know him. Ben had recently moved into his parents Santa Rosa, Florida, beach condo to escape a failed business and a broken marriage. The authorities said it was too dangerous to retrieve their bodies, but four . 2011 Jul-Aug;38(4):257-60. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the While divers couldnt find Ben, they did find two decompression tanks which are left by divers as they ascend to avoid decompression sickness. PMC But within minutes he realised he was stuck, with no room to turn around or even go backwards. [5], The following month, amid increasing criticism, the McDaniels rescinded the reward offer. Would you like email updates of new search results? Last month, Larry Higginbotham, 43, of Biloxi, Miss., drowned inside the cave at Vortex. In Ron Howard's "Thirteen Lives," out Friday on Prime Video, Viggo Mortensen plays Rick Stanton, a British cave diver who recounts his rescue of a Thai boys soccer team from a monsoon-flooded cave. He was given an IV drip and some food and water, and was even able to speak to his wife over a police radio. official website and that any information you provide is encrypted CNN . A well planned hoax? On November 24, the group ventured into the Nutty Putty Cave, a popular spelunking spot known for its tight twists, turns and crawls. That's practically a death sentence when you're scuba diving, so always be careful. Morbidology is a weekly true crime podcast created and hosted by Emily G. Thompson. There were no signs of activity from aquatic scavengers like one would assume if there were a deceased body down there. National Library of Medicine advertisement. 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. Undercurrent, 1988 . On November 24, the group ventured into the Nutty Putty Cave, a popular spelunking spot known for its tight twists . Results: In addition, he incurred a hefty tax debt (est. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Even with improvements in technology, the greatest hazards faced by cave divers remain unchanged. Shelby also noted that Ben had seen the impact Paul's death had had on his parents. Whether it's for sport or research reasons, cave diving is an extremely dangerous activity. [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. . 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. 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. Jim Donaldson, a partner and manager at Big Blue Diving, a Koh Tao dive school, estimates that there were just six dive shops on the eight-square-mile island in 2000, a year after he arrived . [1] He died before the first year was completed. [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. It would be impossible to go through that restriction without making a mark on the floor or ceiling. [2], Sorenson, who has been described by the Tampa Bay Times as being able to go where other divers cannot,[2] persisted. Ben had endured a failed marriage and a bankrupted construction company that left him despondent. A spelunker is somebody who explores caves as a hobby. Home Bizarre Bizarre and Creepy Events The Missing Diver Ben McDaniel. They didnt want to risk their lives, understandably. 2015 Sep;45(3):147-53. Yesterday at 8:16 AM. In 2004, Dave Shaw completed a record-breaking dive at Bushman's Hole. [2][1] Later, it was revealed that Paul's cause of death was "anoxic encephalopathy due to combined drug (opiate/benzodiazepine) toxicity", [6] a drug overdose, not a stroke. An avid diver since his teens, he had been a regular at the spring, where he had apparently been covertly exploring the cave despite lacking the required certification. Introduction: He had left his dog in Santa Rosa Beach and had not given Greer any indication of such plans. 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. Ben Davison. When the two men came back up, they talked with one another and then dove back in, authorities said. A decade later, while on a dive at the same site, Shaw found Dreyer's missing body. Witnesses came forward to say they had encountered Ben on the evening of the 18th of August. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. A text message was sent to Edd Sorenson, a veteran cave diver and recovery specialist with nearly 2,500 logged dives. Careers. Cave diving is perilous at the best of times but Tham Luang presents its own extreme challenges. 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 . In 2004, Dave Shaw completed a record-breaking dive at Bushman's Hole. 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. 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". 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. 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. [1], But then during the research process, she was able to read Ben's dive logs and the map he had made. Emergency medical services responded to a call and he was admitted to a hospital in Pensacola. "If I had to guess his son suffered from some horrible narcosis. This forum is for the discussion of diving Accidents and Incidents and has. He came to Vortex Springs the next day. appreciated. 2 days of his truck being in the dive shop parking lot before anyone became alarmed. 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. 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. Replies 39 Views 2,017. 2 Coincidentally, Lowell died under suspicious circumstances two years after Ben disappeared. Multiple divers searched through the weekend, but did not find Ben. 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. Everyone was relieved but then there was a heartbreaking twist. After struggling to breathe for several hours, John became unresponsive shortly before midnight. Four died in the hole ( . MeSH Terrifyingly John then slid even further down into the passage and was trapped with his arms pinned under his chest. Ben did not have the certification required . Warning: Do not read this story if you're claustrophobic. BBC World Service. Neither of the divers had any obvious signs of trauma and both appeared to have the appropriate diving equipment. BBC World Service. John decided to try and find the formation known as the Birth Canal, an incredibly narrow vertical passage. 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. 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. The worst thing that you can do when you realize something is going wrong is to panic. By Johnny Diaz. 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. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. #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. This is the dark truth about cave diving. [1], In 2011 Kelly ameliorated the charges against him by pleading no contest. 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. Her identity Would love your thoughts, please comment. Experience is the primary key to staying alive while cave diving, with the death rate increasing to 1/1003 for inexperienced divers. RAID continues to explain that the most common . Other than the two tanks, there was no sign of Ben: no dive mask, no fins, no wet suit, no body. 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. Authorities in Florida are investigating the deaths of two cave divers at a wildlife park, the Hernando County Sheriffs Office said. . Ben wasnt an experienced diver thus he had no key. [22], By 2011, it seemed unlikely that Ben's body would be found in the cave. 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. princeandprincessofwales. you'd be dead a long time ago," diver Ben Reymenants, who was part of the rescue mission, says. And that he is dead. sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal 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 . [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). Seig Lu. Ben went into Vortex Spring on August 18th, 2010 and was never seen or heard from again. 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. But after more than 24 hours trapped upside down, the pressure and stress on his body became too much. Some theorise that something more sinister happened to Ben: that he was murdered. 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. He had come to know Ben in the past couple of months. "It would have affected his ability to breathe adequately.". To me, the disappearance of Ben McDaniel is cave diving's greatest mystery. Cave diver suffered worst death imaginable after getting trapped upside down. Daily Star's newsletter brings you the biggest and best stories sign up today. Methods: Reports of cave diving fatality cases occurring between 01 July 1985 and 30 June 2015 collected by Divers Alert Network were reviewed. [1][2], The cadaver dogs searched the woods around Vortex Spring without success. [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. [2][1], Relocating to the Gulf Coast allowed Ben to indulge in his preferred hobby, scuba diving. Ben drowned in an unknown section of the cave, or inside of the fissure.2. Cave diver David John Shaw (Dave Shaw) died more than 10 years later whilst attempting to retrieve Dreyer's cadaver. $50,000), and still deeply affected by the 2008 death of his younger brother Paul from a stroke. 0:00. Terrifyingly John then slid even further down into the passage and was trapped with his arms pinned under his chest. Move on to the next theory. 1:38. John left behind his wife Emily and their baby daughter Lizzie. Ben was not cave-trained, he had absolutely no business being inside a cave. The .gov means its official. On the evening of 19 February, 1994, Gloria Ramirez was rushed to the emergency room 12-year-old Georgia Crews from Montverde, Florida, disappeared while walking to a nearby convenience store. [19], There was no explicit evidence that Higginbotham was trying to find Ben and claim the reward. Equipment failure and training are rarely an issue for experienced divers, while insufficient training is the most . If Edd Sorenson says Bens not in the cave, hes not there. A few years ago there was a famous cave diving death, the disappearance of Ben McDaniel in Vortex Springs. There are millions of possible ways to die, some less pleasant than others. 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. When diving, you always have to be alert and aware of your surroundings. This was the last time Ben was ever seen. 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. 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. 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. He's not in there. While underwater, he discovered the body of missing Deon Dreyer, who had passed away in the cave ten years before Dave's dive. A segment of Investigation Discovery's Disappeared has been devoted to the case, as well as Ben's Vortex, a documentary co-directed by diver Jill Heinerth. Something went wrong, please try again later. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Two tanks known to belong to McDaniel were found near the entrance to the cave. Data regarding trained cave divers were divided into two equal 15-year time periods. Even experienced ones have died there. 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.. On November 24, the group ventured into the Nutty Putty Cave, a popular spelunking spot known for . A 10-year estimate of the incidence of decompression illness in a discrete group of recreational cave divers in Australia. [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. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Ben must have gone deeper than anyone expected. But within minutes he realised he was stuck, with no room to turn around or even go backwards. HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help Many divers are adamant that Ben isnt inside the cave. 7. Eduardo later passed a lie detector test. MIAMI The former owners of a Florida Keys dive shop whose boat was in such poor condition that it capsized and sank, killing a tourist, pleaded guilty last week . HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) - Two cave divers are dead after an apparent drowning in Hernando County, at "Buford Springs Cave.". . He was given an IV drip and some food and water, and was even able to speak to his wife over a police radio. There were no marks on the limestone where a divers helmet or tank would have scraped the cave ceiling. . Lie detector test are easily beatable if you know how. He said the muddy current . [1], Upon arrival, the sheriff's deputies sealed off the spring with crime-scene tape. 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. "Once John had been declared dead, there were discussions about 'How do we get him out?' 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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Keywords: 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. Two men died while diving at Eagle's Nest sinkhole in Florida, Oct. 16, 2016. Emily was also expecting their second child at the time, a boy who was born the following year and named after his dad. All contained normal air, not a specialized gas mix. Undersea Hyperb Med. 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. [1], Shelby does not believe Ben had any intention of abandoning his life. His diving career started back in 1995 in the Pacific Northwest that sparked a new passion for the world beneath the water's surface. [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. 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