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 <http://www.foxnews.com/> > Facebook > <http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/04/01/experienced-diver-accidentally-drowns-exploring-underwater-new-mexico-cave.html#> > 86 Twitter > <http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/04/01/experienced-diver-accidentally-drowns-exploring-underwater-new-mexico-cave.html#> > 165 livefyre > <http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/04/01/experienced-diver-accidentally-drowns-exploring-underwater-new-mexico-cave.html#> > 61 Email > <http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/04/01/experienced-diver-accidentally-drowns-exploring-underwater-new-mexico-cave.html#> > Print > <http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/04/01/experienced-diver-accidentally-drowns-exploring-underwater-new-mexico-cave.html#> > [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 > <http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/mar/31/veteran-san-diego-diver-killed-accident-new-mexico/>, > 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 returned in 2015 for more excavation work and > were able to reach a depth of 160 feet. They returned in late March to > continue surveying. > > Divers from around the region flock to Blue Hole for fun and > certification, as it's one of the best diving spots in the American > Southwest. About 8,000 dive permits are sold each year. > > On Fri, Apr 1, 2016 at 5:30 PM, Ellie via Texascavers < > texascavers@texascavers.com> wrote: > >> 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 < >> texascavers@texascavers.com> 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 >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Texascavers mailing list | http://texascavers.com >> Texascavers@texascavers.com | Archives: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/texascavers@texascavers.com/ >> http://lists.texascavers.com/listinfo/texascavers >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Texascavers mailing list | http://texascavers.com >> Texascavers@texascavers.com | Archives: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/texascavers@texascavers.com/ >> http://lists.texascavers.com/listinfo/texascavers >> >> > > > -- > Charlie Loving > > _______________________________________________ > Texascavers mailing list | http://texascavers.com > Texascavers@texascavers.com | Archives: > http://www.mail-archive.com/texascavers@texascavers.com/ > http://lists.texascavers.com/listinfo/texascavers > > -- Lyndon Tiu
_______________________________________________ Texascavers mailing list | http://texascavers.com Texascavers@texascavers.com | Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/texascavers@texascavers.com/ http://lists.texascavers.com/listinfo/texascavers
