So I am simply copying and pasting the facts as they were told to me by someone involved who asked that I share some details. The point of the details is not to sensationalize the accident, but in hopes that people will understand how much work was involved in the recovery and the emotional stress and physical discomfort the recovery team endured. Also, hopefully it will quell people's questions enough that there will be more understanding (than we typically have) that it will take time for a full report to be put together. Based on conversations, I believe that the teams would prefer that the report be public and I think there is a good chance of that in this case. So let's all try not to speculate (though I know it's impossible not to) and be respectful of the family.
To the mods and anybody else involved in the recovery, if you're not comfortable with the current details being released, then please let me know. I was given this information by someone involved and asked to share it. I obviously don't have the OK from every single person involved, so if the others involved disagree with this being released, please take it down and remember I'm just the messenger. Here is the info:
I won't speculate on some things that we simply don't know, ex. was it medical? (the diver was in his late 50s), and i'll stick to facts.
Diver went in Wednesday, he had been collecting survey data in the new section, which you have to negotiate a stretch of approximately 500' of passage that is small and filled with clay, before passing through a sidemount only restriction.
The first team went in to try and locate him Thursday morning to search back to the rock on rock, the hope was that the diver went running for the door and was on the exit side. No sign of him.
Second team went in with sidemount CCR's and located him approximately at 5800'. Loop was in his mouth, bailout was intact. His monitor was dead (possibly battery?), and he did not have a HUD so no way to determine for certain if there was a hyperoxic/hypoxic or medical event.
teams assembled Friday to do the recovery/extraction. Due to the restrictions, etc it was decided best option was to have one team at a time working, shuttling him to exit and then leaving him for the next. teams moved him to basically in 500' chunks until he was at a spot that a team could take out. in total, 6 teams (12 divers) were involved in the location/recovery. From time of first IUCRR activation to recovery was roughly 36 hours.
I can not understate how difficult moving a body through the phoenix passage is. Clay floor, body tube, not much room for negotiation, and full rigor. Every person involved gave something of themselves the last couple of days to this effort.
Facts:
Diver was solo, on a sidewinder.
Bailout was intact.
Monitor was dead.
No HUD.
To the mods and anybody else involved in the recovery, if you're not comfortable with the current details being released, then please let me know. I was given this information by someone involved and asked to share it. I obviously don't have the OK from every single person involved, so if the others involved disagree with this being released, please take it down and remember I'm just the messenger. Here is the info:
I won't speculate on some things that we simply don't know, ex. was it medical? (the diver was in his late 50s), and i'll stick to facts.
Diver went in Wednesday, he had been collecting survey data in the new section, which you have to negotiate a stretch of approximately 500' of passage that is small and filled with clay, before passing through a sidemount only restriction.
The first team went in to try and locate him Thursday morning to search back to the rock on rock, the hope was that the diver went running for the door and was on the exit side. No sign of him.
Second team went in with sidemount CCR's and located him approximately at 5800'. Loop was in his mouth, bailout was intact. His monitor was dead (possibly battery?), and he did not have a HUD so no way to determine for certain if there was a hyperoxic/hypoxic or medical event.
teams assembled Friday to do the recovery/extraction. Due to the restrictions, etc it was decided best option was to have one team at a time working, shuttling him to exit and then leaving him for the next. teams moved him to basically in 500' chunks until he was at a spot that a team could take out. in total, 6 teams (12 divers) were involved in the location/recovery. From time of first IUCRR activation to recovery was roughly 36 hours.
I can not understate how difficult moving a body through the phoenix passage is. Clay floor, body tube, not much room for negotiation, and full rigor. Every person involved gave something of themselves the last couple of days to this effort.
Facts:
Diver was solo, on a sidewinder.
Bailout was intact.
Monitor was dead.
No HUD.