A few more thoughts after reading more:
I might have misread the vulture comment, and if it was aimed at the media then, in many ways I agree. Perhaps 1 post won't be enough to satisfy the poster and he/she will come in more to post and elaborate further. I'm all up for good discussion!
The press is doing their job. One could just as easily say that WE were the vultures. I think the biggest problem people legitimately have with the press is that they get details wrong (typically "Oxygen" tank) but in most cases the press just parrots what they are told by folks on the scene. Expecting every reporter to be a diving expert is unreasonable.
Faking a cave diving death would be a good way to put them off my trail. However, I cannot imagine an untrained diver planning something this well, to send so many signs of a panicked diver (marks in clay, broken guideline, at depths possibly exceeding a safe MOD or END for his gas mixture)
It wouldn't REQUIRE training, only patience, logic and dedication. Personally, I think it's wild speculation. I think it would be far more likely that he found a girlfriend, and was shacked up somewhere. At the moment, I don't believe either option is the case though.
What will make this even more difficult is rigor mortis. Once they locate the body, it might take several dives to retrieve the remains.
rigor is not permanent.
Perhaps signs at dive sites warning of doom are not enough. How much would it cost to print an additional small sign to go under current signs stating "Untrained divers, statistics are against you. __% of fatalities in a cave are open water divers. Cave training is not very expensive. Think of your family, and invest in training before attempting to dive this cave." ? Perhaps it would influence divers.
Everyone knows you should wear a seatbelt, but people still drive without them. Same thing with motorcycle helmets. How many people on this board have taken a drive after drinking 2 or 3 beers? You can only do so much to prevent people from taking risks. You can try to scare people out of caves, but for every 100 you scare, there will be 5 that are hopelessly drawn to that danger. IMHO, education (as part of OW training) is a far better option than a sign. Rob's videos are a great example.
I still think the biggest problem is the cave community turning a blind eye towards OW divers in caverns and caves.
What can the cave community do? Carry dive batons, and beat the legs of OW divers entering cave systems? How do you know a cave diver underwater? Certainly anyone can purchase cave gear, that doesn't make them a cave diver. Some fully-trained cave divers probably don't belong in caves either. Who gets to be in charge of the cave-police, and decide which divers are worthy?
I think another big problem is inadequate open water classes. I am becoming more and more certain that a one weekend class is not enough to make for a safe diver. I think open water books do not cover this nearly well enough.
I think it's more the instructor and student than the curriculum. I took about two months to finish my OW classes. I was lucky enough to have chose an LDS that would let me have unlimited pool sessions to practice between classes, and was encouraged to take as much time as I wanted between classes (up to a month) to practice skills.
Additionally, a certification of any level, from any agency does not make a save diver.