Others theorise he faked his own death. Ben would have been aware of this requirement, if he had been researching cave diving, as his parents reported. "He was found near a shovel left near a restriction so small that no one could get through it," said Sorenson, who had pulled Higginbotham's body back through four tight restrictions. This article is about the scuba diver who went missing in 2010. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The spring was closed and crime scene tape was tied from tree to tree while his disappearance was investigated. A private investigator they hired believes that his body may have been removed before any authorities were contacted, or that he may even have been murdered on land and the narrative of his disappearance fabricated as a cover story. and transmitted securely. There are millions of possible ways to die, some less pleasant than others. 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. 27-30. Today, we're covering the true scary story of deep cave diver Dave Shaw. 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. Was it an accident? On August 20, 2010, Ben McDaniel (born April 15, 1980), of Memphis, Tennessee, United States, was reported missing after employees in the dive shop at Vortex Spring, north of Ponce de Leon, Florida, noticed that his pickup truck had remained in the shop's parking lot for the previous two days.McDaniel, who had been diving regularly at the spring while living in his parents' nearby beach house . According to the . It was risky work, and one diver said they had nearly died during the search. Ben did not have the certification required . July 1 - The progress of Belgian cave diver Ben Reymenants and engineers pumping out water convince them to stay. A memorial plaque to John stands near the entrance to Nutty Putty Cave. Sign up to the Daily Star's newsletter. In 2014, two cave divers died at a depth of more than 300 feet while exploring an ice-cold underwater cave system in the Plurdalen valley in central Norway. He had a new girlfriend in Florida and had been talking about starting his own business. [1] But on the night of the 18th, they instead went back to Taran's house for coffee. [21], During a chili cook-off he was hosting at Vortex Spring in December, Kelly reportedly fell down the stairs and sustained a head injury. For more information, please see our It was "discovered" by Jim Bowden and Ann Kristovich on a reconnaissance trip made at the end of two weeks of exploration and surveying in the Nacimiento Santa Clara, a cave system at the . To me, the disappearance of Ben McDaniel is cave diving's greatest mystery. Training status, safety rules violated, relevancy of the violations, and root causes leading to death were determined. . reopened in 2003 amid pressure from the National Association for Cave Divers and the National Speleological Society Cave Diving . There were no marks on the limestone where a divers helmet or tank would have scraped the cave ceiling. While investigating, she found some unsavoury characters associated with the Vortex Spring. He had first taken it up at the age of 15, practicing with his tanks in the family pool. The sheriffs office said the investigation into the deaths is ongoing. 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. He has never been seen again. Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies DandyDon; May 18, 2022; 5 6 7. One of the experienced divers who searched for Ben, Kevin Carlisle, explained: We may never know the truth of where he is, but we do know where he isnt and that is because of a lot of talented and qualified divers. As they searched the tiny passages, there was no sign of human activity. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the His body was found the next day after he, too, had failed to return from a dive. advertisement. This is the dark truth about cave diving. There were no signs of activity from aquatic scavengers like one would assume if there were a deceased body down there. Deputies were alerted Wednesday afternoon after one of three teenagers who were spending the day at the Buford Springs Cave called 911, the sheriffs office said. princeandprincessofwales. Ben reached the locked gate at the entrance to the cave; only experienced divers were given a key to the lock. They are adamant that he wouldnt do something so cruel to them. These are simply consequences of divers exceeding the limits of their personal training and experience. [19], There was no explicit evidence that Higginbotham was trying to find Ben and claim the reward. "It's a really tight spot, but we've been able to get around him. Volunteer searches continued afterwards at the spring through November, often with the McDaniels and Greer in attendance. As the sun faded on the 19 th of August, 2010, Ben walked down the narrow dock and slipped in the clear, warm, water of Vortex Spring. . 0:00. He inched his way into the Birth Canal head first, wiggling forward using his hips, stomachs and fingers. Shelby also noted that Ben had seen the impact Paul's death had had on his parents. News, analysis and comment from the Financial Times, the worlds leading global business publication Shane Thompson, an experienced scuba diver with a passion for cave explorations, died at the Blue Hole State Park when the 43-year-old father and husband got lost and trapped in an unmarked . According to RAID, a top scuba training agency, the number one cause of serious injury or death in cave diving is not gear failure, getting lost, becoming trapped, or running out of air. Ben's tanks, wet suit and other diving equipment were not present and there were no signs of a struggle near his truck or anywhere else he could have been. He told them he was working on getting certified as an instructor so he could find a job and that he was researching cave diving with an eye toward getting that certification as well. "If I had to guess his son suffered from some horrible narcosis. A spelunker is somebody who explores caves as a hobby. Or something more sinister. McDaniel, who had been diving regularly at the spring while living in his parents' nearby beach house, had last been seen by two of those employees on the evening of August 18, on a dive entering a cave 58 feet (18m) below the water's surface. His wallet, with almost $1,100 in cash, and cell phone were in the cab of his truck; dive logs showed that he had explored the cave and a map he made was also found. The McDaniels began considering the possibility that he had died as a result of foul play, and that his diving disappearance was staged to cover up a crime. The 26-year-old was a medical student, father of one and an experienced spelunker, John Edward Jones died after getting trapped upside in a nightmarishly narrow cave passage in 2009, This diagram shows how John was firmly wedged upside down in a narrow passage, Nutty Putty Cave is located south of Salt Lake City, Utah, Rescuers worked for hours to try to pull John out to no avail, A memorial plaque to John stands near the entrance to Nutty Putty Cave. 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. For the college football player and coach, see, Scuba diver who disappeared during or after a cave dive, Cave diving beyond the locked gate at Vortex Springs, bacteria that would indicate the presence of a decomposing human body, "Theories about Collierville diver's disappearance swirl in vortex of unanswered questions", "When a diver goes missing, a deep cave is scene of a deeper mystery", "Collierville parents pull reward for missing diver", "Article on Ben McDaniel Vortex Springs Case", "What Happened to Ben McDaniel? [1], With the cave thoroughly searched, some divers began questioning whether Ben was there at all. Discovery Company. Thirty separate tests of the water over the next several months showed no sign of an increase in the bacteria that would indicate the presence of a decomposing human body. Two days later, it was noticed that Ben's car was still in the . While divers couldnt find Ben, they did find two decompression tanks which are left by divers as they ascend to avoid decompression sickness. [2], Sorenson, who has been described by the Tampa Bay Times as being able to go where other divers cannot,[2] persisted. Move on to the next theory. Rescuers began a different approach, using air-powered tools to chip away at some of the rock surrounding John. Two days before the Investigation Discovery cable channel series Disappeared aired a segment on Ben's case, a diver from Biloxi, Mississippi, Larry Higginbotham, died in the cavern at Vortex Spring. RAID continues to explain that the most common . They hired a Florida private investigator, Lynn-Marie Carty, who found that other people associated with Vortex Spring besides Kelly had criminal records. Emergency medical services responded to a call and he was admitted to a hospital in Pensacola. Authorities in Florida are investigating the deaths of two cave divers at a wildlife park, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office said. [10] At the entrance is a sign depicting the Grim Reaper which warns divers of the dangers of continuing onwards. The worst thing that you can do when you realize something is going wrong is to panic. Epub 2012 Jul 18. Replies 39 Views 2,017. He was given an IV drip and some food and water, and was even able to speak to his wife over a police radio. Cave diving is perilous at the best of times but Tham Luang presents its own extreme challenges. Ed Sorenson, an experienced diver who owns a dive shop, searched the spring scrupulously. Normally you had to have a buddy system before you was allowed to get the group I never knew them to allow a single diver go on their own. At the entrance to the cave is a sign depicting the Grim Reaper. 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. Perhaps his body had been secretly removed from the cave before searching began and disposed of on land or it had washed out through the spring's outlet. When the footage was reviewed, his team realized that Dave had captured his last moments underwater attempting to free Deon Dreyer from the depths of the cave. Vortex Spring is a popular vacation destination hours away from the hustle and bustle of Orlando and Disney World. 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. Two men died while diving at Eagle's Nest sinkhole in Florida, Oct. 16, 2016. http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/when-a-diver-goes-missing-a-deep-cave-is-scene-of-a-deeper-mystery/1163972. . Yes, Thai Cave Rescue is based on the true story of the rescue of 12 Thai boys from youth soccer team the Wild Boars and their coach from the Tham Luang Cave, between June 23 and July 10, 2018. Please enable it to take advantage of the complete set of features! On the 18th of August, 2010, Ben McDaniel dived into an underwater cave at Vortex Springs in Florida, never to be seen again. 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. Police assigned divers searched for Ben for days. While underwater, he discovered the body of missing Deon Dreyer, who had passed away in the cave ten years before Dave's dive. Two cave divers . "After what we went through with Paul, we know our son well enough to know he wouldn't put us through that again," his mother told the Commercial Appeal.[1]. To this day, they havent given up hope that one day Ben, dead or alive, shall be found. Deputies were alerted Wednesday afternoon after one . Lie detector test are easily beatable if you know how. Larsa Pippen Is 'In Love' With Marcus Jordan And Swears Dad Michael Is Cool With Their Relationship! The McDaniels were called, and they drove to Florida, along with Greer, to observe from the shore. While police had already searched the spring, there were certain passages that they refused to search because it was much too dangerous and they werent experienced enough. John decided to try and find the formation known as the Birth Canal, an incredibly narrow vertical passage. 3) Ed. Rescuers from the Utah County Sheriff's Office arrived and began a complicated extraction attempt, made worse by the fact that John was in "absolutely the worst spot in the cave". 186. An estimated 92,000 people died at the camp, according to the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem. A phone tip line they set up had not received any calls, and no one who had not yet said anything was likely to be further motivated to do so, they said. . July 2 - Rick and John make contact with the boys and their t coach two and half . Here is another one from "Disappeared". Undercurrent, 1988 . "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. [15], By Sunday, August 22, no other signs of Ben had been found. [2], McDaniel's dives at the site were regular enough that the dive shop employees and other frequent visitors came to know him. And that he is dead. The body of a cave diver still remains trapped upside-down after his ghastly death. 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. 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