They never saw him again. Taran, who said he had let Ben into the cave despite knowing he lacked certification to dive in it, passed a lie detector test of his account. 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. Richard William Stanton (R) speaks to John Volanthen (L back to camera) at the Tham Luang cave area. Something went wrong, please try again later. http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/when-a-diver-goes-missing-a-deep-cave-is-scene-of-a-deeper-mystery/1163972. Without a body, closure is impossible. Through the years, McAniff, of Rhode Island, said he has seen the number of diving deaths decrease while the sport's popularity is on the rise. Tank one, an "aluminum 80" (80 cubic ft capacity), full tank with a regulator, was found 200 feet (61m) inside the cave. [1] But on the night of the 18th, they instead went back to Taran's house for coffee. [2], McDaniel's dives at the site were regular enough that the dive shop employees and other frequent visitors came to know him. In February 2014 two divers died at a depth of more than 100m in a huge cave system in Norway. Unquenchable heroism and complex human relationships amid the perils of extreme sport. Ben McDaniels parents believe two things: That their 30-year-old son dived into an underwater cave in Vortex Springin Florida on the 18th of August, 2010. October 23, 2022 7:16 pm. An official website of the United States government. Careers. Or, perhaps he had been found dead by the dive shop staff, who feared the consequences of that discovery. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. [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. GO NO FARTHER. For more information, please see our Ben had endured a failed marriage and a bankrupted construction company that left him despondent. Unsworth said the water was too murky to see and on June 25, Thai Navy SEALs tried the same . He soon realized that very few divers "in the world" possessed the training and skill to attempt such a dangerous cave diving recovery. In the 1990s, 13 divers perished in the cave. July 2 - Rick and John make contact with the boys and their t coach two and half . In the late 2000s Ben McDaniel was going through a difficult period in his life. The SEALs and other Thais inside hurried to clear Chamber 3. Morbidology is a weekly true crime podcast created and hosted by Emily G. Thompson. Man, 50, who sold guns to gangsters across Britain jailed for 19 years, Police accused of spending just ONE day a week fighting crime, Parole DENIED for Robert F. Kennedy's assassin Sirhan Sirhan, 78, Humans could have wings or tentacles 'in the next few decades', Elon Musk reveals Tesla's $10 trillion 'Master Plan 3', Wings and extra limbs in development after Third Thumb success, Sacked OnlyFans teacher left red-faced with gym blunder when bloke tried to help, Mouldy homes may be causing erectile dysfunction and shrinking testicles in men, Elle Brooke mocks OnlyFans rival Astrid Wett as moving like a Wii character, Shapps orders energy firms to hand Britons bills lifeline, Common flu may have originated from a fish 600 million years ago. [1], But then during the research process, she was able to read Ben's dive logs and the map he had made. This article is about the scuba diver who went missing in 2010. Only one returns. It was risky work, and one diver said they had nearly died during the search. Join us for a scary storytime covering the true story of Dave Shaw. [2], Ben was 6feet 1inch (185cm) tall and weighed 210 pounds (95kg), one inch (2.5cm) taller and 20 pounds (9.1kg) heavier than Sorenson. Taran, who had suspected for some time that Ben was forcing the gate open, went down to him and unlocked it, watching Ben go in and then returning to Cronin. 1:10 AM EDT, Fri June 24, 2022. 2. [2][1] Later, it was revealed that Paul's cause of death was "anoxic encephalopathy due to combined drug (opiate/benzodiazepine) toxicity", [6] a drug overdose, not a stroke. There was no sign of a struggle at his car and his belongings were untouched, including $1,000 in cash. One rescuer was able to get close enough to pronounce him dead of cardiac arrest. The sheriffs office said the investigation into the deaths is ongoing. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. John's brother Josh was the first to find him, and tried pulling at his calves but was unsuccessful. In Ron Howard's "Thirteen Lives," out Friday on Prime Video, Viggo Mortensen plays Rick Stanton, a British cave diver who recounts his rescue of a Thai boys soccer team from a monsoon-flooded cave. Two men died while diving at Eagle's Nest sinkhole in Florida, Oct. 16, 2016. He was found unresponsive at his home after suffering blunt force trauma to the head. Trained cave divers who died in the most recent time period were older but little else differed. I did a search for it but didn't find anything posted..the fact of not knowing if he ever came out of the cave or not is what I find most compelling. Bookshelf Cave diving is perilous at the best of times but Tham Luang presents its own extreme challenges. Assisted by helicopters, they searched the swamps along the spring's outflow into Blue Creek and Sandy Creek to the Choctawhatchee River. "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. [12] He spent much of the rest of the afternoon by himself alongside the spring, witnesses said, testing equipment and making notes in his dive log. Move on to the next theory. [1][2], The cadaver dogs searched the woods around Vortex Spring without success. While investigating, she found some unsavoury characters associated with the Vortex Spring. [1], At the Santa Rosa Beach house officers found his dog, hungry from having been unfed for two days. Other divers saw him looking closely at the area around the cave entrance, as if, it was later reported, he was planning something. When the two men came back up, they talked with one another and then dove back in, authorities said. Edd Sorenson (born October 17, 1959) is a technical cave diver known for numerous rescues of lost or trapped divers in the underwater caves of Florida particularly in Vortex Springs and Blue Springs Recreational Park. sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal The McDaniels have vehemently rejected that theory, pointing to the dog and girlfriend he left behind as well as doubting that he would have knowingly subjected them to that level of grief after seeing how his brother's death had affected them. Many divers are adamant that Ben isnt inside the cave. 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. 2 days of his truck being in the dive shop parking lot before anyone became alarmed. The McDaniels devoted their family's extensive financial resources to the search, at one point guaranteeing the replacement cost of a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV). 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. [1], Some other events reported to have occurred on the day Ben disappeared supported that theory. Introduction: There were some rather distasteful discussions as well, things that nobody really wanted to do," Sgt Cannon said. He followed his passions. 7. Last month, Larry Higginbotham, 43, of Biloxi, Miss., drowned inside the cave at Vortex. While Ben frequented the spring, he never received sufficient training and wasnt considered an experienced diver. Ben was not cave-trained, he had absolutely no business being inside a cave. Belgian Ben Reymenants runs a dive shop in Phuket. Lengthy searches have only located some anomalously placed and filled decompression tanks; many of the divers who took part in those searches believe that if McDaniel is indeed dead, his body is not in the cave as he was too large to enter its narrower passages. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. [14] The talk box, originally located in the Piano Room of the cave, was moved to the basin area of Vortex Springs and is now at a depth of only 21 feet (6.4m). John decided to try and find the formation known as the Birth Canal, an incredibly narrow vertical passage. Multiple divers searched through the weekend, but did not find Ben. "Once John had been declared dead, there were discussions about 'How do we get him out?' 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? We were able to hold his hand at some point.". He came to Vortex Springs the next day. Lie detector test are easily beatable if you know how. It would be impossible to go through that restriction without making a mark on the floor or ceiling. 186. Dave Shaw was determined to bring this missing person's remains back to his family and set out on his final mission in 2005. Despite living on the coast during his sabbatical, he preferred to dive in fresh water, becoming a frequent visitor to Vortex Spring, located inland a short distance north of Ponce de Leon. [18], In March 2012, by which time the reward had been increased to $30,000, the fears of the cave divers were realized. They didnt want to risk their lives, understandably. 3) Ed. All contained normal air, not a specialized gas mix. He said the muddy current . Volunteer searches continued afterwards at the spring through November, often with the McDaniels and Greer in attendance. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}304617N 855653W / 30.77149N 85.94812W / 30.77149; -85.94812, 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. A decade later, while on a dive at the same site, Shaw found Dreyer's missing body. Results: [1], In 2011 Kelly ameliorated the charges against him by pleading no contest. In 1987, a woman attempting to break into a home was shot dead. 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. That's practically a death sentence when you're scuba diving, so always be careful. Home. The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 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. [13] Experienced divers scoured the cave, investigating small crevices and fissures Ben might have entered in a panicked attempt to exit the cave, as his tanks ran low, a pattern found in other cave diving deaths. For those who are willing to push boundaries to the absolute limits. The McDaniels were called, and they drove to Florida, along with Greer, to observe from the shore. reopened in 2003 amid pressure from the National Association for Cave Divers and the National Speleological Society Cave Diving . John left behind his wife Emily and their baby daughter Lizzie. "Ben was brave," his father later said. In 2004, Dave Shaw completed a record-breaking dive at Bushman's Hole. "If he's in there, I don't know where he'd be," he said later. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 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. 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! Of a struggle at his home after suffering blunt force trauma to the absolute.! 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