Re: [Texascavers] Robber Baron Open House - April 9

[Lyndon Tiu via Texascavers]

This is a sad story. I always wonder why these happen a lot. Is it always
equipment failure?

Regarding the part that says: " ... death appears to be an accidental
drowning"

Can someone explain to me what else can it be other than accidental
drowning?


On Sat, Apr 2, 2016 at 7:40 AM, Charles Loving via Texascavers <
texascavers@texascavers.com> wrote:

> Experienced diver accidentally drowns exploring underwater New Mexico cave
> Published April 01, 2016
>  FoxNews.com 
> Facebook
> 
> 86 Twitter
> 
> 165  livefyre
> 
> 61 Email
> 
>  Print
> 
> [image: FILE - This June 6, 2015 file photo shows divers at Blue Hole
> State Park in Santa Rosa, N.M.]
>
> FILE - This June 6, 2015 file photo shows divers at Blue Hole State Park
> in Santa Rosa, N.M. (AP)
>
> New Mexico authorities confirmed the death of an experienced California
> diver Thursday after he was helping with the exploration of underwater
> caves in a well-known swimming hole.
>
> Shane Thompson’s death appears to be an accidental drowning, the initial
> investigation suggests. The 43-year-old was helping navigate narrow
> passageways below the Blue Hole in the eastern part of New Mexico, a
> tourist destination in the community of Santa Rosa.
>
> Santa Rosa Police Chief Jude Gallegos said Thompson was among about 10
> people from the ADM Exploration Foundation who were at Blue Hole for a
> multi-day exploration. The group had been working on surveying the
> underwater canyon system since 2013.
>
> Thompson and another experienced diver Mike Young dove into Blue Hole on
> March 26, Gallegos said. They planned to have Young enter the cave and
> Thompson stay outside in a safety role, but Thompson decided to enter any
> way, Gallegos said.
>
> “Apparently something went horribly wrong, and he started to panic,” the
> chief said.
>
> According to The San Diego Tribune
> ,
> Young told investigators that he and Thompson were looking for passageways
> when Thompson followed him through a narrow obstruction into a small
> chamber.
>
> Santa Rosa Police Officer Mike Gauna told the Guadalupe County
> Communicator that Young started to exit the area, following the safety
> line. But some silt had been kicked up and it became impossible to see.
> Thompson pulled on the line extremely hard and it slipped from Young’s
> hands.
>
> Both dives then became wedged in the passageway. Young swam down to turn
> around, but Thompson swam upward and took a wrong turn getting trapped in
> an “unmapped offshoot” in one of the passageways that didn’t lead anywhere,
> according to the paper.
>
> By the time Young got back to Thompson, he had died.
>
> The state Office of the Medical Investigator said it could be weeks before
> autopsy results are available.
>
> No more exploration is planned of the underwater cave system at Blue Hole,
> said Curt Bowen, president of the exploration foundation.
>
> "The cave system below is walled out. That means there is no cave passage
> left to explore," he said in an email. "We mapped everything we could fit
> through, and it ended in a tight rock breakdown at a depth of 194 feet."
>
> Thompson was a Navy veteran who started diving at a very young age while
> growing up in the Florida Keys. After earning his first certification, he
> went to work for an underwater construction company and later started
> numerous diving businesses that focused on everything from boat maintenance
> to salvage work and training.
>
> Last year, Thompson rediscovered the wreckage of the B-36 "Peacemaker"
> bomber that had crashed in 1952 near Mission Beach. A video posted by
> Thompson's San Diego-based Advanced Underwater Training business shows his
> flashlight scanning the engines and other corroded pieces of the plane as
> he makes his way through the darkness more than 250 feet below the surface.
>
> Family members said Thursday they were struggling with Thompson's death,
> but they acknowledged that diving was what he loved to do and that he had
> earned numerous certifications during his lifetime.
>
> The caves have been sealed off since 1976, when two divers in training
> died after getting separated from their classmates. New Mexico State Police
> divers quickly found one of the bodies, but it took several weeks to find
> the other. In

Re: [Texascavers] Robber Baron Open House - April 9

[Charles Loving via Texascavers]

Experienced diver accidentally drowns exploring underwater New Mexico cave
Published April 01, 2016
 FoxNews.com 
Facebook

86 Twitter

165  livefyre

61 Email

 Print

[image: FILE - This June 6, 2015 file photo shows divers at Blue Hole State
Park in Santa Rosa, N.M.]

FILE - This June 6, 2015 file photo shows divers at Blue Hole State Park in
Santa Rosa, N.M. (AP)

New Mexico authorities confirmed the death of an experienced California
diver Thursday after he was helping with the exploration of underwater
caves in a well-known swimming hole.

Shane Thompson’s death appears to be an accidental drowning, the initial
investigation suggests. The 43-year-old was helping navigate narrow
passageways below the Blue Hole in the eastern part of New Mexico, a
tourist destination in the community of Santa Rosa.

Santa Rosa Police Chief Jude Gallegos said Thompson was among about 10
people from the ADM Exploration Foundation who were at Blue Hole for a
multi-day exploration. The group had been working on surveying the
underwater canyon system since 2013.

Thompson and another experienced diver Mike Young dove into Blue Hole on
March 26, Gallegos said. They planned to have Young enter the cave and
Thompson stay outside in a safety role, but Thompson decided to enter any
way, Gallegos said.

“Apparently something went horribly wrong, and he started to panic,” the
chief said.

According to The San Diego Tribune
,
Young told investigators that he and Thompson were looking for passageways
when Thompson followed him through a narrow obstruction into a small
chamber.

Santa Rosa Police Officer Mike Gauna told the Guadalupe County Communicator
that Young started to exit the area, following the safety line. But some
silt had been kicked up and it became impossible to see. Thompson pulled on
the line extremely hard and it slipped from Young’s hands.

Both dives then became wedged in the passageway. Young swam down to turn
around, but Thompson swam upward and took a wrong turn getting trapped in
an “unmapped offshoot” in one of the passageways that didn’t lead anywhere,
according to the paper.

By the time Young got back to Thompson, he had died.

The state Office of the Medical Investigator said it could be weeks before
autopsy results are available.

No more exploration is planned of the underwater cave system at Blue Hole,
said Curt Bowen, president of the exploration foundation.

"The cave system below is walled out. That means there is no cave passage
left to explore," he said in an email. "We mapped everything we could fit
through, and it ended in a tight rock breakdown at a depth of 194 feet."

Thompson was a Navy veteran who started diving at a very young age while
growing up in the Florida Keys. After earning his first certification, he
went to work for an underwater construction company and later started
numerous diving businesses that focused on everything from boat maintenance
to salvage work and training.

Last year, Thompson rediscovered the wreckage of the B-36 "Peacemaker"
bomber that had crashed in 1952 near Mission Beach. A video posted by
Thompson's San Diego-based Advanced Underwater Training business shows his
flashlight scanning the engines and other corroded pieces of the plane as
he makes his way through the darkness more than 250 feet below the surface.

Family members said Thursday they were struggling with Thompson's death,
but they acknowledged that diving was what he loved to do and that he had
earned numerous certifications during his lifetime.

The caves have been sealed off since 1976, when two divers in training died
after getting separated from their classmates. New Mexico State Police
divers quickly found one of the bodies, but it took several weeks to find
the other. In the process, police divers made a crude map of some of the
unexplored passages.

At that time, one of the divers descended and found himself at the edge of
an underwater cliff. His powerful flashlight wasn't enough to see the cave
wall across from him or the bottom, sparking only more curiosity.

In 2013, divers with the ADM Exploration Foundation attempted an
expedition, but they had little success getting past the tons of rock the
city dumped onto the grate to keep people out.

Divers with the foundation returne

Re: [Texascavers] Robber Baron Open House - April 9

[Ellie via Texascavers]

Ted Lee has agreed to let caver volunteers camp on his 5 acre property near the 
cave. Contact me for details. 509-899-0007, falgout.el...@gmail.com.

On Feb 15, 2016, at 8:53 PM, Joe & Evelynn Mitchell via Texascavers 
 wrote:

> The next Open House for Robber Baron Cave on scheduled for Saturday, April 9 
> and volunteers are needed! This is a big fundraiser for TCMA and we need help 
> for taking and selling photographs, registration, selling t-shirts, selling 
> concessions, distributing and collecting gear, and of course, a big crew of 
> volunteers to camp out in the cave and make sure our visitors don't wander 
> off. (Cave volunteers must have their own gear.) If you can participate and 
> there is a particular job you would like to do, please e-mail Evelynn, who is 
> serving as volunteer coordinator, at evel...@satx.rr.com. If you are just 
> interested in helping and don't care what you do, let her know that too. 
> Thanks everyone!
> 
> Joe Mitchell
> ___
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Re: [Texascavers] Robber Baron Open House - April 9

[Michael Harris via Texascavers]

I'm good to go. Trying to recruit the Jaseks to help with photos.

Mike



Sent via the Samsung Galaxy Note® 4, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone


 Original message 
From: Joe & Evelynn Mitchell via Texascavers 
Date: 2/15/2016 20:54 (GMT-06:00)
To: Texas Cavers 
Subject: [Texascavers] Robber Baron Open House - April 9

The next Open House for Robber Baron Cave on scheduled for Saturday, April 9 
and volunteers are needed! This is a big fundraiser for TCMA and we need help 
for taking and selling photographs, registration, selling t-shirts, selling 
concessions, distributing and collecting gear, and of course, a big crew of 
volunteers to camp out in the cave and make sure our visitors don't wander off. 
(Cave volunteers must have their own gear.) If you can participate and there is 
a particular job you would like to do, please e-mail Evelynn, who is serving as 
volunteer coordinator, at evel...@satx.rr.com. If 
you are just interested in helping and don't care what you do, let her know 
that too. Thanks everyone!

Joe Mitchell
___
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http://www.mail-archive.com/texascavers@texascavers.com/
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