IUCRR Notice - Fatality beyond the Hinkel

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03-11-2008 02:44 PM
Ken Hill

IUCRR Notice - Fatality beyond the Hinkel

This is an IUCRR notification to the cave diving community that yesterday. At about 1230 noon, a diver entered the water in Devils System, Ginnie Springs. Later that day Ginnie staffers learned the dive was for the purpose of exploration beyond the Hinkel restriction. The IUCRR learned that the diver was configured in a rebreather with sufficient scrubber to last 10 hours and also a side mount/no mount rig for the effort needed to make a passage through a suspected new lead.

The staff of Ginnie Springs reported the event to the IUCRR at 2130 hours yesterday. They also reported a degradation of visibility within the system making recreational diving unsafe. A preliminary inspection dive revealed that the visibility issue was caused by the attempted exploration and at that time the diver discovered a fatality at about 3300 or more feet in the system.

AT 0900 today an IUCRR recovery team extricated the body and later teams removed the individuals gear and paraphernalia used. Reports of the divers identity are being withheld at this time. The IUCRR extends condolences to the family. I would like to thanks Rose and Mark Meadows for their assistance, Lamar Hires the IUCRR Training Director and Jerry Murphy for their assistance in returning the body to the surface. The effort was enhanced by many others who gave surface support and diving assistance in this recovery.

As per IUCRR policy, a full report is being prepared for the Gilchrist County authorities for their evaluation and review. Once their review is concluded it will be released it to the cave diving community.
03-11-2008 03:08 PM
BgDadddy

Thats a shame - this year was starting out nicely from a dive accident respect. My condolences to the diver's friends & family.
03-11-2008 03:20 PM
Walter Pickel

Thank you for posting this Ken.

Everyone, please thank Lamar, Jerry and others for this very thankless part of our community.
03-11-2008 03:27 PM
SuPrBuGmAn

Thanks for the update, my condolensces to family and friends, and many thanks to the recovery team involved.
03-11-2008 03:28 PM
FW

Thanks Ken. Prompt information like that will hopefully keep down un-necessary speculation.
03-11-2008 03:31 PM
Jay

Thanks for the info Ken. Pass on a thanks to the recoverers.

My condolences to the family.
03-11-2008 03:49 PM
battles2a5

Condolences to the family. RIP.
03-11-2008 04:17 PM
Corbett

:{ That's too bad.
03-11-2008 06:02 PM
jj1987

My prayers go out to the family. I hope they can find peace in knowing their loved ones died doing what they loved to do.
03-11-2008 09:09 PM
Cave Ranger

Not far from where I live there were two people killed today in traffic when they ran a red light in their van. They had a total of 6 motorcycle related fatalities during Bike Week this year in Daytona.
This is just an attempt at perspective because as usual the this incident will probably get a certain amount of negative press. I'll still take my chances cave diving. Whomever this unfortunate soul is though my sincerest condolences to his or her family. What else can you say?
03-12-2008 07:41 AM
temrich

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family. A big thanks goes out to the IUCRR and the members of the recovery team.
03-12-2008 07:46 AM
cavediver256

My heartfelt condolences go out to the victim's family and friends. RIP brother....
03-12-2008 04:46 PM
aainslie

Corey has posted an "in memoriam" thread on thedecostop. This is very sad news, and my condolences go out to everyone who knew Mark. He was just a great guy.
03-12-2008 06:36 PM
Squirrel Girl

Someone on TDS posted a link to the diver's website:
http://www.fyvie.net/diving.html

I looked around and see that his was engaged for a Sept wedding. Doubly sad.

Thanks to all those who worked on the recovery.
03-12-2008 07:59 PM
MengTze

AW man! Sorry to see this. My condolences to his family
03-12-2008 10:31 PM
aainslie

Quote:

Originally Posted by Puttzer

FWIW: anyone know the ratio of solo cave deaths to those with a buddy? Say over the last 10 years?

Richard

That's an irrelevant statistic without also knowing what the ratio is of SAFE dives done with and without a buddy. And even then, I doubt the database is large enough for anything statistically emaningful to come out. Which brings me to...

Already with the internet post-mortem? Please let's give it a break until the IUCRR puts out their findings. Mark's friends an relatives will be watching these boards, let's be respectful.
03-13-2008 12:55 AM
akcaver

My prayers and heartfelt condolences go to the family and friends, and my respect to our fallen brethren.
03-13-2008 06:35 AM
Kelly Jessop

Quote:

Originally Posted by bernieflyer

By the way, what do the letters IUCRR stand for....?....

International Underwater Cave Rescue and Recovery
03-13-2008 07:46 AM
aw

Quote:

Originally Posted by aainslie

That's an irrelevant statistic without also knowing what the ratio is of SAFE dives done with and without a buddy. And even then, I doubt the database is large enough for anything statistically emaningful to come out. Which brings me to...

Already with the internet post-mortem? Please let's give it a break until the IUCRR puts out their findings. Mark's friends an relatives will be watching these boards, let's be respectful.

Exactly! Let's don't start with this nobody should solo crap again. DIR says the same thing with sidemount . . . but the evidence is in the pudding.

My condolences as well.
03-13-2008 09:27 AM
jimdiverman

This is very sad news. The entire cave diving community is saddened by the loss. I send my heartfelt condolensces to his family and loved ones.

Jim
03-13-2008 10:29 AM
jpdiver

post mort

Quote:

Originally Posted by aainslie

That's an irrelevant statistic without also knowing what the ratio is of SAFE dives done with and without a buddy. And even then, I doubt the database is large enough for anything statistically emaningful to come out. Which brings me to...

Already with the internet post-mortem? Please let's give it a break until the IUCRR puts out their findings. Mark's friends an relatives will be watching these boards, let's be respectful.

I also totally agree! Implying that a diver did something wrong can only add to a families grief. There is no evidence to support this. Solo diving is neither encouraged nor condemned by the two leading cave diving agencies and does not break one of the 5 basic rules. It is an individual choice.

At any rate, such tragic news should not generate such debates.
03-15-2008 12:25 PM
allen

RE:Fatality beyond the Hinkel

My heartfelt condolences to his family and fiancee.
All of us make mistakes; most of us are lucky enough to survive them. The fact that cave diving has become fairly safe is due to rules developed from the analysis of many accidents. We already know why the stupid and the inexperienced die. We are still trying to learn from the deaths of really good divers like Mike Fyvie.
03-15-2008 02:15 PM
aainslie

Quote:

Originally Posted by allen

Mike Fyvie.

Err.. Mark Fyvie
03-15-2008 08:01 PM
TONY CHANEY

Many prayers go out the friends and famil of the the diver.
03-16-2008 07:35 AM
Danil

Very sad news...