Accident at Mx

[Aktun]

Two cave diver died at Kalimba cenote, Kalimba is part of Sak Aktun(grand cenote), the divers were Ken Hirsch, and Mike Nast. What happened,I do not know, the news said "they got lost".
http://www.poresto.net/index.php?ID=18626
(spanish)
Let's wait info flow.
David

[crazyduck]

Babel fish Translation of the newspaper

Two divers in a natural well die
They were lost in the tunnels of the Kolimba natural well, in the Tulum-Cobá highway

ALCALDIA OF TULUM, SOLIDARITY, 9 of December. - Tragic death of a pair of divers, when apparently they were lost in the tunnels of the Kolimba natural well, located on the state highway, in the kilometer 4+300 Tulum-Cobá, apparently its death went by asphyxia, presumably when the finishing the compressed air (oxygen) of its tanks.

The morning of this Thursday in the natural well before mentioned two foreigners were killed, when they were diving, first of them, guide of tourists, Kent Hirsch, original of Pensilvania and Mike Nast, original tourist of Florida, that arrived at this tourist pole of 4 December accompanied by its wife, same that they were stayed in Villas of the Aquatech Rose, located in the Mayan Riviera, also suffered a same fate.

The police sources informed that at nine in the morning it arrived a group of 4 tourists coming from the place before mentioned, who introduced themselves to the natural wells to dive, where passed away both mentioned, also were William Downney and Jane Downey both of fifty and eight years of age, original of Vadem, Pensilvania.

Who when noticing itself that the things did not walk nothing well, retired of the group in order to leave the natural well, obtaining to leave by its own means, later Gary Lorey dips, that came in another group managed to rescue corpses to 11:15 hours, being transferred towards the borders of the natural well.

At the place of the facts they arrived Luis Ceme Couoh, expert in criminology that gave faith in the rise of corpses, the agent of the Public Ministry, Pedro Martinez Quijano, the Judicial Police, the assistant director of Civil defense, Bright Salvador Arguea and the assistant director of Public Security, Manuel Lopez Kantún.

The expert in criminology Ceme Couoh, explained that in agreement to the characteristics that presented/displayed the victims of a murder, the frothy fungus in the mouth, is deduced that they died by asphyxia, without embargo, later of which the law autopsy practices will determine the cause del decease, also the quality del oxygen which they contained the tanks, by which was opened previous inquiry 564/2004 by the crime of facts, the corpses were transferred by the undertakers to Beach del Carmen for the law autopsy, the tanks that they loaded were without oxygen.

Transfer of corpses
Like always, before the agreements that it has made the Public Ministry with the undertakers, the corpses are transferred by that the turn touches to him, although sometimes the relatives decide that they are taken to a single undertaker, as the present case, in where the tourists who accompanied the deceased tried that outside an undertaker who transferred corpses.

Nevertheless, one of them was taken by the undertaker of Quintana Roo and the other by the Undertaker of the Caribbean, bringing displeased between relatives and friends.

It is possible to indicate that the tourist Mike Nast, solely went to dive he, being left his wife in Villas of the Rose.

(Roman Moor)

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the two deceased divers.

[jrgordonsenior]

Forwarded by me from Nic Toussaint, Akumal DIR Center:

"It was a sad day for cave diving in Mexico !

Two cave divers failed to comeback to exit, It was 9 diver group split in two groups of 4, one with guide,
te dive plan was a double jump traverse calimba - boschen, in sac actun cave system,
both teams sharing reels, jumps was 2 minutes form each other
one team turn the wrong way at the jump even they pickup their "team cookie marker" at jump reel,
4 divers miss it ! as they follow the arrows instead of their exit direction and travel 1500ft of passage not travel on the way in !
2 divers where taking pictures as they swam the 20-25 minutes to the end of the line following the arrows until they realize the line is over and they were lost,
they try to jump again but could not find Gran cenote - Hotul main line and swam back.........

In the meanwhile the other team pick up the second reel but left the first one for next day dive,
(actually this is a "snap and gap", but I never use) and head out thru the boa restrictions,
coming out uneventful however the other team was not out ! So they decide to drive to Gran Cenote and look for them

Back inside at the "snap gap" the team split in pairs and 1st pair make it out after sharing gas with less than 500 psi left on the tanks,
prior team re-arrenge gas a went looking for divers left behind,
the other pair did not make it out, running out of gas 200-300 ft from entrance,
the 1st search team brougth one out, 2nd search brought next one out

Too sad this is the 6th cave diver death in Mexico this year and they all link to the usual people involved, poor training and logistics wise !

Be smart guys !"

[Aktun]

Link removed.

We will have no more of that.

Jay Wells

[JohnTodd]

Anyone have any insight regarding the accident? What happened? Where did they get lost or turned around?

JT

[Jay]

Translated
TULUM, SOLIDARITY, 9 OF DECEMBER. - Two divers died by decompression to the edge of noon of yesterday Thursday, minutes after to have entered to swim in a natural well that is located in the side of the Tulum-Cobá highway, the tragic facts come to add one long list of deaths of divers under the same conditions. Although the representatives of the Subdivision of Civil defense, made formal appearance in the natural well "Calinda Kin-Ha", to save the life of the divers, or nothing could do since the divers or had happened to better life floating in the entrance of the cavern after to have swum by long short while in the underground rivers. A report of the corresponding authority, indicates that when arriving at the place of the facts they had at sight to two people without life, which responded to the names of Mike Nast, original of Pensilvania and until the hour of his death it counted on 42 years of age, the other occioso responded to the name of Kent original Hirsch of the same place and counted on 46 years age. The corresponding authorities indicate that the tourists passed away by broncoaspiración by immersion and they were provided with accomodations in the hotel Villas of Pink the Akumal Adventures. Previous to the arrival of the authorities, the divers either had been rescued by the guide of name Gary Lorey, nevertheless or were dead, in the place of the facts the ministerial authorities appeared and gave faith of the facts being transferred the bodies without life to well-known Beach undertaker of the Carmen.

Jay

[MikeH]

Jay, I'm assuming that translation was directly from some website that translated it...right? If so, why don't you cut and paste the original Spanish and somebody here can probably do a better job of translating it. Those websites translate things TOO literally...often losing much in the translation.

Mike

[Jay]

NOTE: This topic will stay open only if we have constructive discussion of the incident. Please respect the families and friends involved.

I removed some earlier posts.

Jay

[DeWayne]

NOTE: This topic will stay open only if we have constructive discussion of the incident. Please respect the families and friends involved.

I removed some earlier posts.

Jay

Quite understand Jay, thanks.

Again, my heart felt condolences to family and friends.