Accident at Vortex Springs 8-20-10

[tn]

what is a deco bottle?

 

[TSandM]

Yarbrough, I don't think anybody was trying to say that a better OW class would prepare one to survive a cave. I think they were saying that, if more emphasis were placed on warning students NOT to go in caves, some people might not do it.

However, I have to say that, at the end of my OW class, it was abundantly clear to me that I was not supposed to go inside of things, to the point where dives like the Cathedrals off Lanai worried me a great deal. So I think people know; I think they choose to believe that they are different or what they are about to do really isn't what the instructor meant. Or they think the hazards are overblown, like the old Reefer Madness movies about marijuana.

 

[Cave Diver]

what is a deco bottle?

A deco bottle contains a richer mix of oxygen to allow a diver to more effectively get rid of some of the excess nitrogen that builds up in the tissues faster. It is typically used on longer or deeper dives when this excess build up can be more of a problem. Use of a deco gas also allows a diver to get out of the water faster when they have mandatory decompression stops to make.

 

[Hetland]

what is a deco bottle?

deco = decompression

most recreational divers do what is referred to as a no-deco dive, because it is not required for them to do decompression stops before surfacing.

a decompression dive is either longer or deeper (sometimes both) than recreational dives, and excess nitrogen builds in the blood. that liquid nitrogen will turn into a gas if you surface too quickly, and cause the bends (or other physical problems).

decompression divers usually carry a scuba tank with gas that has a higher oxygen percentage than plain air (often 100% oxygen) that is called a deco bottle. Pure oxygen is toxic at depth, so cavers usually "stage" the bottles near the entrance so they don't have to drag it around at a depth they can't use it.

oxygen allows the diver to surface faster because breathing it removes the excess nitrogen from the blood at a faster rate.

example:

diver 1 waits at 20ft deep for 20 minutes breathing air (21% oxygen) before he can surface.

diver 2 waits for 5 minutes at 20ft breathing pure oxygen before he can surface.

 

[tn]

Thank you for clarifying. I'm sorry to the ones who have friends and family trying to recover Ben. We greatly appreciate all for their bravery and time. My prayers go out to all involved. I know a few have asked the friends and family of Ben to not read any further but most of us can't and won't stop reading until closure is found. This message board is all we have that brings us closer to what has happened. There are hundreds of us back home (Memphis, TN) reading your every post and waiting, just waiting, wanting some closure of this tragic accident. The question most of us are asking is why do some divers think it's ok to dive alone or go into caves that are dangerous like this? What is it that these divers are looking for? Adventure? Danger? Death?

This is foolish and all of us loved him so much. I'm grateful for all who have posted and given us knowledge of Vortex Springs and what consist of cave diving.

Do any of you get scared underwater in a cave?

 

[Cave Diver]

The question most of us are asking is why do some divers think it's ok to dive alone or go into caves that are dangerous like this? What is it that these divers are looking for? Adventure? Danger? Death?

For a properly trained, and equipped diver with the right mind and skill set, cave diving is statistically not very dangerous, even when diving solo.

For those without all of that, especially the training, there are only so many times you can pull the trigger on an empty chamber before you finally find the bullet.

If you get scared in a cave, then it's probably not the place one should be diving. That's not to say there aren't those little moments where you may get a tingling feeling and think you probably shouldn't be there, but if it turns to actual fear, you've got bigger problems on the way. I hope you keep that in mind.

I know a few have asked the friends and family of Ben to not read any further but most of us can't and won't stop reading until closure is found. This message board is all we have that brings us closer to what has happened. There are hundreds of us back home (Memphis, TN) reading your every post and waiting, just waiting, wanting some closure of this tragic accident.

I'm sorry to say, but I think that as events unfold you are going to see a very different picture painted of your friend than the one you know. While I sympathize with your loss, accident threads can be very difficult for anyone remotely close to the victim.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

I have to agree with TSandM. My PADI OW certification was a pretty quick one, and the class materials were the official PADI book and a film strip, which were, in my opinion, a bit heavy on advertising, cute sidebars, etc.

But even so, at the end of that class I knew -- beyond a shadow of a doubt -- that I should not go into any overhead environment. For all of the quick certification's potential shortcomings, that was very clear.

 

[Splitlip]

Specifically, this is the one in Vortex:

Bump.

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

Thank you for clarifying. I'm sorry to the ones who have friends and family trying to recover Ben. We greatly appreciate all for their bravery and time. My prayers go out to all involved. I know a few have asked the friends and family of Ben to not read any further but most of us can't and won't stop reading until closure is found. This message board is all we have that brings us closer to what has happened. There are hundreds of us back home (Memphis, TN) reading your every post and waiting, just waiting, wanting some closure of this tragic accident. The question most of us are asking is why do some divers think it's ok to dive alone or go into caves that are dangerous like this? What is it that these divers are looking for? Adventure? Danger? Death?

This is foolish and all of us loved him so much. I'm grateful for all who have posted and given us knowledge of Vortex Springs and what consist of cave diving.

Do any of you get scared underwater in a cave?

Cave Diver gave you a very good answer. We have the training, the gear and the knowledge to safely do these dives. We know to evaluate ourself at every step of the dive and to end the dive before things turn bad. People without the training have no idea what they are getting into, ikt all seems ok until something goes wrong. As I said in an earlier post, something catostrophic for an open water diver is basically an inconvienance for us. That's what all the training is for.

 

[Cave Diver]

Sorry, I neglected to answer the second part of your question.

What is it that these divers are looking for? Adventure? Danger? Death?

I feel confident in saying that no one goes into a cave looking for death. I'm certain that if that was their goal there are easier ways to do so.

In answer to the rest of your question, I'll refer you to a thread I started a while back on the subject: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cave-diving/332057-how-i-started-why-i-continue-cave-dive.html