Fatality at Peacock Springs today (07-07-2010)

[LiteHedded]

I think he's suggesting that she could've been confused about which line she was on.

In a stressed-out frame of mind that's a definite possibility ... particularly for (some of) us older folks.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

quite possible. a lot of the lines in that system have opposing arrows.
I still think following the rules negates all that uncertainty but maybe I'm crazy

 

[Jax]

DROWNING VICTIM IDENTIFIED Breaking News Suwannee Democrat

July 8, 2010

DROWNING VICTIM IDENTIFIED
Carnell Hawthorne Jr.
(fm Suwannee Democrat )

Live Oak — A 67-year-old Marion County woman drowned while scuba diving in the caves beneath Peacock Springs in Wednesday, Suwannee County Sheriff Tony Cameron said.

Patricia Barkley, of Lady Lake, was diving with a male companion when she began to run low on oxygen, Cameron said.

“He was leading her out and when he looked back she was gone,” Cameron said the man told authorities.

The man immediately surfaced and called for emergency help shortly after noon.

Diver Larry Green discovered Barkley's body about 40 minutes after entering the cave. She was 70 feet beneath the water and roughly 1,200 feet into the cave, according to Chief Deputy Ron Colvin.

Barkley and her companion had been coming to the area to dive for a number of years, said Cameron, but it is not clear if they were equipped with standard cave diving gear, such as a line to follow to the surface should visibility become obscured.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

... I sure wish the reporter would consult with a diver before printing such an article ... it's almost like it's written in a foreign language ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[jonnythan]

Has anyone else noticed that whenever there's a news report on something they're familiar with, like diving, the reporters get everything wrong?

And we trust these people to inform us about things we don't really know a lot about?

My sincerest condolences to all those involved. I've never been cave diving but I've been both diving and caving quite a bit, and know how easy it can be to become confused and panic to the point where you lose the ability to think rationally.

 

[David_57]

Yes pretty sad the reporters don't educate themselves a little before writing something this stupid.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

the rules are important. i don't advocate breaking any of them. yes, breaking them *can* absolutely be causative or contributory to fatalities, but not putting in a line from open water in ginnie (for instance) would not *cause* a death at the bats from a navigational error.

Different scenario all together.

She didn't know where she was, and I think its a totally legitimate assumption to say she was trying to go back the way she came - which was unmarked, and therefore missed.

There's a direct impact to this dive thats not involved in the 'bats' scenario.

 

[EAN]

I am sorry to hear of this loss. My condolences to the family.

A smart person learns from their mistakes, but a wise person learns from the mistakes made by others. Let's be wise divers.

 

[DandyDon]

St. Petersburg Times | tampabay.com | Know it now.

DOWLING PARK, Fla. (AP) -- A north Florida woman reportedly died while cave diving at Peacock Springs in Suwannee County.

The sheriff's office reports that 67-year-old Patricia Barkley had been diving with a partner Wednesday when she signaled to him with her light and then took off in the other direction. The partner told deputies that he caught up with her and put her hand on the safety cable, and they began swimming toward the exit. When the partner looked back, Barkley was swimming in the opposite direction.

After 20 minutes of searching, the partner resurfaced and called for help. Recovery divers found Barkley about an hour later, 830 feet from the nearest exit and 53 feet under the water.

Investigators aren't sure what caused Barkley to swim off.

 

[Cave Diver]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Duplicate threads merged and moved to Accidents and Incidents

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[DandyDon]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Duplicate threads merged and moved to Accidents and Incidents

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Thanks. I'd searched this forum but not the board.