cave diver missing in TN

[rblackburn]

so....the air pocket exists because of the type of rock in Tennessee? which is non porous? as opposed to the lime stone here in florida which seems not to be able to hold air for long?

TN cave is in limestone also, airbell is above the water table. This exists in FL too. Line dry entrance to a sump, but this is a spring to a dry passage type place. This is fairly common, but not always large enough for divers.

[JohnAd]

We'll add this story as one of the historical vignettes in the Guidelines to Sump Rescue document. Here's what I've been able to pull together from what people have posted publicly.
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I guess I can't like your synopsis because of some technical glitch, so I will just say thanks for this. It was very informative. It appears as if Bratchley made a very good decision about going back to the air pocket. Of course, kudos to Edd and Mike for dropping everything to head out and to Edd for his skilled actions on the rescue dive itself.

[kotik]

I'm glad he got a win after the DR experience. I got to hear some of the story of that one, there is no way it was pleasant.

[JE]

Thank you for posting your links to this rescue.....I've never met Edd Sorenson, but I have to give him the utmost respect he deserves....! thank you Edd Sorenson & rblackburn !

[Rich]

Good on ya, Edd!

Looks like the story made the national news...
https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news...-1499230787895

Safe diving,

Rich

[Jordan]

Wow!

I hope the diver warms up and is ok!

[twaldo]

So, first off as always, THANK YOU EDD & MIKE!!!

What I do not understand and would love someone to explain in better detail.... Per Jason Richards map, this cave is 434' in length, a straight passage (no side passages) with one bedding plane that has a height of 18". I understand his line was severed and so he did the exact thing he should have done which was surfacing into the known room and waiting. What I don't understand is, why could the rest of his team not find him? He was pretty much at the end of the line. I know I'm an infant in terms of cave diving experience (I'm not even full cave yet) but this really wasn't a cave you could get lost in... one way in, one way out with a known area of open air at the end. Again, I think he did exactly what he should have done with a broke line.... I'm just confused about every thing else????

[JohnnyC]

If they were OC I would imagine they got low on gas trying to find him and had to exit.

[twaldo]

If they were OC I would imagine they got low on gas trying to find him and had to exit.

Ok there is that possibility.... maximum depth is 40ish feet. No one has said "we just didn't have enough breathing gas" They were quoted as "looked for hours and couldn't find him" but they were almost positive where he was?? Something is missing.

[Bobby]

twaldo,
I have not been in this cave so I'm relating experience from other similar types of systems. Though it is a short cave, it is not necessarily easy to route find. A fairly straight passage can be very wide and the way forward not obvious. Throw in percilation and stirred up silt with difficult low jagged passage and you have an extremely difficult time route finding. It is not a negative reflection on the divers that couldn't find him, trust me if they could they would have, it was likely just more difficult than their experience. Good on them not creating another fatality in the rescue attempt.