And no traces of Ben were ever found inside of Vortex Spring.In this video I breakdown the story of what happened before Ben's journey into Vortex Spring. No one is known to have seen him since. In the late 2000s Ben McDaniel was going through a difficult period in his life. "It would have affected his ability to breathe adequately.". Despite nearly nonstop dives by more than 16 recovery divers over a 36 day period, no traces of Ben were ever found.This video is the main reason why I started this channel. [9], For the most experienced divers, some of whom come from around the world, the main attraction of Vortex Spring is the cave, which starts 300 feet (91m) from the cavern, at a depth of 115 feet (35m). Home Bizarre Bizarre and Creepy Events The Missing Diver Ben McDaniel. To me, the disappearance of Ben McDaniel is cave diving's greatest mystery. The mapped portion of the cave ends at a narrow restriction about 150 feet deep and 1,500 feet of mostly horizontal penetration, about the length of . My gut feeling tells me someone closely involved with the last sighting of Mr. McDaniel knows more about his disappearance than they are letting on. DAN Annual Diving Report 2019 Edition: A report on 2017 diving fatalities, injuries, and incidents [Internet]. Keywords: Her identity Would love your thoughts, please comment. "[1], The McDaniels did what they could to help the search. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Med Sport Sci. [2][1], At Vortex Spring, which claims on its website to be the largest diving facility in the state,[8] divers descend into clear waters at a constant temperature of 68F (20C) fed by the Floridan Aquifer. MeSH While underwa. He had a failed marriage and financial trouble. Kelly said shortly afterwards that on that evening, a man he described as "wild-eyed" and apparently drunk showed up at the shop and asked if it was too late to dive; the possibility has been raised that this man, if he existed, may have been involved. A massive rescue expedition was launched to pull out a man trapped in one of Utah's narrowest caves, but heartbreakingly John Edward Jones was unable to be saved and his body is still inside, Don't miss a thing! Teacher with prosthetic Z-cup breast FINALLY put on leave. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); document.getElementById("ak_js_2").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); My husband used to dive that. Terrifyingly John then slid even further down into the passage and was trapped with his arms pinned under his chest. . John decided to try and find the formation known as the Birth Canal, an incredibly narrow vertical passage. While divers couldnt find Ben, they did find two decompression tanks which are left by divers as they ascend to avoid decompression sickness. This was the last time Ben was ever seen. sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal At 46, Brod was a highly regarded diver, a gruff, opinionated man who as a boy in El Campo had swum along . Deon Dreyer was a South African recreational scuba diver who died in Bushman's Hole, or also known as Boesmansgat cave, in South Africa's Northern Cape. The British cave diver who led the rescue of the Thai boys' soccer team and personally saved the captain, Duangpetch Promthep, has opened up about the heartbreaking death of the 17-year-old. A few years ago there was a famous cave diving death, the disappearance of Ben McDaniel in Vortex Springs. The Holmes County sheriff's office, which had also been the lead agency investigating the McDaniel disappearance, implied that it had not gotten the full story of what had occurred the night of Kelly's injury and that it had some questions it wanted answered. [22], Kelly remained comatose, and was eventually placed in hospice care, where he died the following month. The tragedy began with the 1994 death of Deon Dreyer. Three tanks believed to belong to Ben were recovered. After seven dives, he apologized to the McDaniels for not finding any fresh sign of Ben. The water was rising up the cave wall, and Rob returned through the rapidly filling S-bend, so he wouldn't get trapped without diving gear. Emily was also expecting their second child at the time, a boy who was born the following year and named after his dad. . July 2 - Rick and John make contact with the boys and their t coach two and half . A decades-old mystery surrounding the death of a Florida cave diver has been solved by a simple experiment by three scientists in a lab at Florida State. Maltese soldier dies in diving incident off Marr ix-Xini. Training status, safety rules violated, relevancy of the violations, and root causes leading to death were determined. His doomed final dive was caught on camera. Diving Hyperb Med. [1][2] The state of Florida issued his family a death certificate in 2013. [7], The McDaniels suggested their son take a sabbatical, offering to support him financially while he and his dog, a chocolate Labrador he had rescued, lived in the family's beach home at Santa Rosa Beach on the Emerald Coast of the Florida Panhandle. [1], More detailed information regarding tanks was given in the Ben's Vortex documentary. On November 24, the group ventured into the Nutty Putty Cave, a popular spelunking spot known for its tight twists, turns and crawls. [2], The day had been hot, with temperatures around 90F (32C), and as evening came Ben began preparing for another dive. "It's very narrow, very awkward, and it's difficult to get rescuers down there," rescuer Shawn Roundy told media at the time. Two days later, it was noticed that Ben's car was still in the . Undercurrent, 1988 . Everyone was relieved but then there was a heartbreaking twist. Shortly after, the group of teens saw one of the divers floating face down and when they checked on him, received no response. On August 18th 2010, Ben McDaniel, a 30 year old scuba diver, vanished 115ft underwater in the cave at Vortex Spring, in Ponce De Leon, FL. Simon Halliday, 49, from Clitheroe, Lancs, died at Lancaster Hole near Kirkby Lonsdale on 4 January, 2020. He inched his way into the Birth Canal head first, wiggling forward using his hips, stomachs and fingers. [2][1], Relocating to the Gulf Coast allowed Ben to indulge in his preferred hobby, scuba diving. An experienced California diver who was helping with the exploration of the narrow underwater passageways that radiate from a well-known swimming hole . Police assigned divers searched for Ben for days. By that point John had been hanging upside down for more than eight hours. A memorial plaque to John stands near the entrance to Nutty Putty Cave. Only one returns. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. March 31, 2016 / 5:35 PM / AP. Diving instruction is offered for all levels; experienced divers come for the underwater wildlife and the cavern, which begins 58 feet (18m) below the surface. Last month, Larry Higginbotham, 43, of Biloxi, Miss., drowned inside the cave at Vortex. The cave is located in the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Park in Weeki Wachee, roughly an hour north of Tampa. [2], Ben's truck was still in the parking lot the next morning, but with many summer visitors coming to enjoy the site's many water-based recreational opportunities and picnic grounds in addition to diving, the employees said they were too busy to notice. Epub 2013 Jan 31. That's practically a death sentence when you're scuba diving, so always be careful. New posts Search forums. Methods: The rescue mission became a body recovery operation, but it became apparent that it would simply be too dangerous to get John out of the passage. About a week later concrete was poured into the main opening of the cave, sealing John inside forever. John Edward Jones, 26, was a medical student and experienced spelunker who went cave diving with a group of friends while visiting family in Utah for Thanksgiving in 2009. They hired a Florida private investigator, Lynn-Marie Carty, who found that other people associated with Vortex Spring besides Kelly had criminal records. The Hernando County Sheriff's Office shared this photo of the area near the Buford Springs Cave where the two cave divers died. However, since Ben wasnt certified to go past the gate, makes it difficult for him to find a buddy to also engage in this reckless behavior. Former Firefighter Richard Stanton played a crucial role in the Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand in 2018. There were some rather distasteful discussions as well, things that nobody really wanted to do," Sgt Cannon said. He's not in there. Conclusion: The sheriffs office said the investigation into the deaths is ongoing. The . Two cave divers died in a possible drowning in Florida, authorities said Thursday. Cookie Notice However, not only did skilled and experienced divers . The ex-employee managed to escape into the woods but was left so shaken that he moved his family out of town and swore he would never return. But this discovery struck some searchers as inconsistent with Ben's supposed intent to explore the cave he was technically not permitted to enter. The authorities said it was too dangerous to retrieve their bodies, but four . Four died in the hole ( . Jill Heinerth says Dan's Cave on Abaco Island, Bahamas, is her "favorite cave on Earth." Diver and photographer Jill Heinerth has explored unmapped, underwater caves deep in the earth, as well as . In the 1990s, 13 divers perished in the cave. John left behind his wife Emily and their baby daughter Lizzie. Ben did not have the certification required . [2] The insinuation of cowardice alienated divers who had already risked their lives searching the cave,[17] and raised fears among them that it would only encourage untrained divers to enter the cave and take potentially fatal risks for the reward money. The McDaniel family hired Lynn-Marie Carty, a private investigator. 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He had come to know Ben in the past couple of months. "He's not in great shape physically, there's a lot of pressure on his upper body and back but he's been amazingly resilient and he has incredibly high spirits under the circumstances," Sgt Spencer Cannon said at the time. Ben Haddon-Cave, 27, whose sister Jessie Cave played Ron Weasley's girlfriend Lavender Brown in the films, had been out drinking with 26-year-old Paddy Bolster who also died in the tragedy. National Library of Medicine Assisted by helicopters, they searched the swamps along the spring's outflow into Blue Creek and Sandy Creek to the Choctawhatchee River. Sign up to the Daily Star's newsletter. Neither of the divers had any obvious signs of trauma and both appeared to have the appropriate diving equipment. [15], By Sunday, August 22, no other signs of Ben had been found. John left behind his wife Emily and their baby daughter Lizzie. They did see the truck the next morning. Emergency medical services responded to a call and he was admitted to a hospital in Pensacola. Two men died while diving at Eagle's Nest sinkhole in Florida, Oct. 16, 2016. It considers all the theories regarding its subject's disappearance: an accident as originally believed, a murder or coverup of the accident as the McDaniels have sometimes alleged, and the possibility of a staged disappearance to allow Ben to escape his problems, which McClellan believes. FOIA On the weekend of August 1415, he returned to Florida, leaving behind a letter thanking his parents for the sabbatical and promising to look after them as they grew older. It contains a warning to divers of the consequences of diving past that point: PREVENT YOUR DEATH. Cave divers usually place extra "air" tanks, needed for decompression, at points along their exit route so they can follow them out, and not only at the entrance to the cave. [10] At some points, the passage narrows to 10 inches (25cm), requiring divers to remove their tanks, push them forward through the passage, and then twist their bodies to follow. [19], There was no explicit evidence that Higginbotham was trying to find Ben and claim the reward. But within minutes he realised he was stuck, with no room to turn around or even go backwards. [2], They did, however, find some of his equipment. John Edward Jones, 26, was a medical student and experienced spelunker (someone who explores caves as a hobby) who went cave diving with a group of friends while visiting family in Utah for Thanksgiving in 2009.. On November 24, the group ventured into the Nutty Putty Cave, a popular spelunking spot known for . While the annual number of cave diving fatalities has steadily fallen over the last three decades, from eight to less than three, the proportion of trained divers among those fatalities has doubled. On his nights out with Greer, he told her of plans to eventually start a diving-related business. He slipped beneath the clear waters of Vortex Spring, with one goal in mind: to make a name for himself in the extreme world of cave diving. The entrance to Nutty Putty Cave was boarded up and declared a public health hazard. 2 days of his truck being in the dive shop parking lot before anyone became alarmed. The main causes of death have been drowning when cave diving, drowning as the result of flooding or negotiating deep water, injuries incurred from falling from a height, and injuries incurred as the result of rock falls.In ten cases the bodies have not been recovered. She realized that he had, in fact, gotten very far into the cave. In fact, he owed the IRS $48, 861. [1], She and McClellan turned their private video short into a feature-length documentary, Ben's Vortex, released in 2012. [1] Undeterred, the McDaniels increased the award, twice. His only option was to keep moving forward, and exhaled the air from his chest so he could fit through the "L-shaped pinpoint" which was just 10 inches across and 18 inches high. He had first taken it up at the age of 15, practicing with his tanks in the family pool. "Ultimately the decision was made that it was too much risk for the rescuers to remain there in an effort to get him out and the decision was made to leave him in place.". An inquest has heard how a cave-diver in Cumbria drowned close to the surface early last year, after a problem was thought to have occurred with his rebreather, a unit under development. [2], Cronin and fellow employee Eduardo Taran, on their way back from a dive themselves something they often did on Wednesdays after the shop closed saw Ben as he began descending, with his lights on and wearing a helmet, suggesting he was venturing into the cave. They were eventually able to partially free him using a rope-pulley system. He was wearing a dive mask, fins, and a wet suit. A spelunker is somebody who explores caves as a hobby. We were able to hold his hand at some point.". Two other tanks, lacking regulators, were attached to the "talk box" in the outer cavern area, (Piano Room) where the talk box was located at the time. Lie detector test are easily beatable if you know how. The state barred entrance to the sinkhole in 1999, reported the Tampa Bay Times, and it was later reopened in 2003 amid pressure from the National Association for Cave Divers and the National . Before Cadaver dogs alerted on the water surface, further supporting that theory. This is the dark truth about cave diving. Ben decided to fake his own death, and is still alive somewhere.More than a decade later, the truth of what happened to Ben McDaniel still isn't known.Disclaimer: I had tested positive for covid this week and was in the middle of getting symptoms while recording the videoso it's a little rough, but there was no way I was going to wait to post this story. Warning: the attached video shows Shaw's personal camera footage from the moments leading up to his death, and they are unpleasant. By that point John had been hanging upside down for more than eight hours. Richard William Stanton (R) speaks to John Volanthen (L back to camera) at the Tham Luang cave area. Scuba diving is a safe sport. 3) Ed. advertisement. 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