IUCRR Notice - Fatality beyond the Hinkel

[Ken Hill]

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.

[BgDadddy]

Thats a shame - this year was starting out nicely from a dive accident respect. My condolences to the diver's friends & family.

[Walter Pickel]

Thank you for posting this Ken.

Everyone, please thank Lamar, Jerry and others for this very thankless part of our community.

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Thanks for the update, my condolensces to family and friends, and many thanks to the recovery team involved.

[FW]

Thanks Ken. Prompt information like that will hopefully keep down un-necessary speculation.

[Jay]

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

My condolences to the family.

[battles2a5]

Condolences to the family. RIP.