Another accident in Tulum Cave Diving

[CptTightPants21]

There is a second puzzling point. Here is part of the description from the Cave Divers Forum:

While heading back to the Cuzan Nah loop, he met another team of divers. We'll call them Team A. He wrote on one of their slates, asking them if they'd seen a diver with a blue helmet. They replied yes. They had seen her five minutes prior as they were heading out of the cave. She was reeling in a spool, had yielded way for them because they were exiting, and they assumed she was diving solo.
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Why was she reeling in a spool? The other diver was taking pictures when he lost sight of her, so this was not something he was involved with. This could possibly explain her disappearance--she might have decided to go off on an explore of her own while he as taking pictures, he saw she was gone and took off looking without noticing a new line heading off somewhere, and she was just returning to the mainline (with him long gone) when the other group passed her.

From my understanding, the instructor was looking for her all over the place for a while before she encountered the group. The deceased didn't tie a spool off from the initial point of lost contact, she tied a spool in after they had been separated for a while and she had been on her own.

It is possible that the deceased didn't care about the separation and was in the process of exploring the cave on her own (hence reeling up the spool), but that is far too much speculation for me and I would give her the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Bent Frederiksen]

She was certified cave diver and this was not her first time diving in Tulum, but also cave dived in the Philippines.

 

[Bent Frederiksen]

I am sorry for your loss. There is a 2nd hand account and discussion on another popular cave diving forum with some details. (Not sure the forum rules about posting the direct link)

Cameron

What site is that.

 

[Bent Frederiksen]

but the deceased then ran into another group of divers who were exiting the cave and she didn't ask them for assistance or show any signs of distress (they saw here deploying a spool and she gave them right of way to exit). Overall a very weird and sad story.

There are some more details verified by several people on cavediver if others are interested.

Can you please post the link, thanks

 

[boulderjohn]

Can you please post the link, thanks

Cave Diver's Forum

You have to be a member, which is a simple task.

 

[CptTightPants21]

Cave Diver's Forum

 

[boulderjohn]

From my understanding, the instructor was looking for her all over the place for a while before she encountered the group.

Correct, but when he encountered the other group, they said they had seen here only 5 minutes before. Perhaps they were mistaken about the time.

The deceased didn't tie a spool off from the initial point of lost contact, she tied a spool in after they had been separated for a while and she had been on her own.

What is your source for this information?

 

[Bent Frederiksen]

Cave Diver's Forum

You have to be a member, which is a simple task.

I am now registered, but cant find the discussion in regards to this accident.

 

[CptTightPants21]

Correct, but when he encountered the other group, they said they had seen here only 5 minutes before. Perhaps they were mistaken about the time.

What is your source for this information?

I don't have experience with the cave, but my impression from reading the account on cavediver was that the instructor looked around her general vicinity as well as deeper into the cave, and then came back and went closer to the exit. With all that looking, I would think she would have seen a line that was tied off near her initial location of lost contact. When the team encountered the deceased, was the deceased at the point of lost contact? Also, in my mind it took time for the instructor to go back and forth searching. Now the exiting team could have been mistaken about seeing her only 5 min before (which would have been what 15-25 min? after the first lost contact.), but the details that are known seem to be verified by multiple divers in several teams (again based on what is posted on cavediver).

 

[boulderjohn]

I am now registered, but cant find the discussion in regards to this accident.

My link should take you directly to it now. It is called Fatality at Gran Cenote. One way to do it is to hit the button marked "What's New."