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Steve Gerrard the IUCRR Central America
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Double Cave Fatality at Sistema Sac Aktu
Thursday, 9 December 2004
Four - Person Dive Team
Kent Hirsch, Age 53, Columbia, PA
Full Cave Certified 10/21/01
Logged 125 cave dives
Michael G. Nast, Age 37, Lancaster, PA
Full Cave Certified 10/21/01
Logged 75 cave dives
William Downey, Age 53, Baden, PA
Full Cave Certified, 1973
Logged 300 cave dives
Jeanne Downey, Age 53, Baden, PA
Full Cave Certified, 1973
Logged 300 cave dives
The Dive Plan
Two teams of full cave certified divers (one 5-person team, and
one
4-person team) arrive at Cenote Calimba in two separate vehicles.
This
cenote is located approximately 1500 feet further northwest on the
Coba
Road from the Gran Cenote of Sistem Sac Aktun. Both teams plan to
enter
and exit at Cenote Calimba. The agreed upon dive plan is to follow
the
main permanent guideline from Cenote Calimba to the end of this
guideline. Already in place was a snap & gap line (this is a
permanent
line with a red aluminum caribiner attached to one end that can be
deployed
to connect two different lines in place of jump or gap reel) that is
approximately 20 feet in length. This snap & gap line originates from
the
Calimba line and the red aluminum caribiner is attached to the Paso
De
Lagarto permanent guideline. There are two white directional arrow
markers
pointing to the downstream or exit side of this connection. Swimming
sixty
five feet in distance the permanent guideline ma!
kes a 90 degree turn to the right and has one white directional
arrow
marker attached on the downstream side of this 90 degree turn,
pointing to
the downstream or exit side to the Gran Cenote/Cenote Ho Tul. The
plan
involves making a short six foot jump from this 90 degree turn using
a
delron spool with neon pink guideline to the Cenote Bosh Chen
guideline. It is discussed before the dive (utilizing a stick map
drawing
showing the lines and markers) that the pink jump spool will be
connected
on the upstream (Calimba exit) side of this 90 degree with a
non-directional placed for exiting reference.
A non-directional marker is placed on the snap & gap line for
reference and to notify any other divers who may be in the system that
this
snap & gap is in use. This snap & gap line was already connected.*
Both
teams had agreed before the dive that the last team out would remove
this
marker, but leave the snap & gap in place as they found it.
*Interesting Note: On Tuesday, December 7th, two days prior to
this
dive, both victims and both survivors had made dives from Gran
Cenote,
across a jump spool to Paso De Lagarta guideline, and swam upstream
past
the Bosh Chen jump, and just beyond the snap & gap before calling
their
dives and exiting the same way as they entered. All four verbalized
seeing
the snap & gap connected.
As discussed and planned, another non-directional marker is
placed on
the upstream (exit to Calimba side) of the 90 degree turn indicating
the
exit to Cenote Calimba, and a third non-directional is placed on the
pink
gap line itself (which both teams plan to share).
The intention of the 5-person team is to follow the Bosh Chen
guideline for approximately 500 feet and make a five foot jump to the
left
using a spool with green line, and continue following this continuous
guideline to Cenote Bosh Chen, surface briefly to talk, and return
exactly
the same way back to Cenote Calimba.
The intention of the 4-person team (consisting of the two
victims and
the two survivors) is to follow the same guidelines referencing the
snap &
gap with the non-directional marker, and the delron spool with neon
pink
line which has a non-directional marker at the 90 degree turn clearly
marking the exit side back to the snap & gap line. This 4-person team
had
verbalized pre-dive that they had no intention to swim all the way to
Cenote Bosh Chen.
The 4-person team consisting of the two victims and two
survivors
started their dive at Cenote Calimba and reached the snap & gap line
end of
Calimba line in approximately 32 minutes. They turned left, swam 65
feet,
and followed the pink gap line connecting to the Bosh Chen line with
Michael Nast calling the dive to turn around. This four-person team
made
no other jumps and did not encounter the five-person team. They swam
back
to the spool with neon pink line. At this six foot jump Jeanne
Downey
removes the non-directional marker on the pink gap line, but leaves
the
non-directional marking the exit to Cenote Calimba where the spool is
clicked in. Both survivors (Downey`s) acknowledged after the dive
that
they
saw this non-directional marking the Calimba exit side of the
90-degree. However, they could not explain how or why their
four-person
team went the opposite way, swimming downstream on the Paso de Lagarto
line
and NOT right to swim the 65 feet back to the sna!
p & gap line attachment.
Her husband, Bill Downey is taking photos with his digital
camera and
strobes throughout this dive. They swim along the Paso de Lagarto
line
continuing to take photos for approximately 25 minutes and 1400 feet
in
distance, where they reach the end of this line which has an arrow
pointing
out. They would have swum past four directional arrows pointing
downstream
towards the Gran Cenote and Cenote Hotul on the Pasa de La Grate
guideline. At this point, Kent Hirsch deploys his safety spool to
attach
to the end of the Paso de Lagarta line in an attempt to swim over to
the
Gran Cenote/Cenote Hotul line (@65 feet). At approximately the same
time,
Michael Nast turns around and begins swimming back upstream on the
Paso de
Lagarto line with Jeanne Downey following him. Bill Downey then
begins to
follow them upstream, and Kent Hirsch picks up his spool and catches
up
with the other three divers. It is NOT known what air pressure each
of the
four cave divers has in their al!
uminum double 80 cubic foot tanks at this point.
Bill and Jeanne Downey take the lead of the four-person team at
this
time. Approximately 100 feet before the 90-degree turn of the Paso
de La
Garto line where the Bosh Chen six-foot jump exist, Bill Downey clips
his
digital camera system to the permanent line. At the 90 degree turn
the
black delron spool with neon pink line has been removed by the other
team
of five divers as they believed the 4-person team had already exited
because Jeanne Downey had already removed the non-directional marker
from
the pink gap line.
The four-person team continues upstream, across the snap & gap
line,
to the Calimba line. It is not known how far apart each of the two
buddies
within this four-person team is at this point. The Downeys stated
they
could see the lights of the other two members of their team behind
them.
Bill Downey shows his wife his gauge registering 700 psi.
Shortly
later she passes him her long hose to share air, and they continue
swimming
back to Cenote Calimba. It is not known exactly where they begin to
share
air on the Calimba guideline. They reach the surface at Cenote
Calimba
with Bill Downney having 200 psi in his doubles, and Jeanne having
500 psi
Ken Hirsch and Michael Nast never reached Cenote Calimba. There
were
found together approximately 250 feet short of Cenote Calimba with
their
second stages out of the mouths. Kent Hirsch`s long hose was
deployed. Both cave divers were on the ceiling and had zero pressure
in
their double aluminum 80 cubic foot tanks. Mikes Nast`s primary
HID
light
was still burning. Kent Hirsch`s primary HID light was turned
off and
stowed. One of his back up lights was turned on and lying on the
cave
floor below him. Both victims were found facing towards Cenote
Calimba, in
the sharing air position.
Tulum Police and Investigators immediately took possession of
the
victims upon recovery, and all their dive gear.
Information provided by Dr. Jerry Finkel, Jeff Hunter and Connie
Lore
members of the five-person team.
This report sent to Bill & Jeanne Downey.
Report prepared by:
STEVE GERRARD
IUCRR Central America Coordinator
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, последняя (на сегодняшний день) авария произошла 4 января в системе П3 (Люравиль, Флорида) на маршруте Замок Хейндли. Каверн серт дайвер на воздухе и одном цилиндре проследовал за инструктором на глубину 65м и удалении от входа около 500м где (естественно высосав свой воздух) был вынужден принять стейдж от инструктора и начать выход. На выходе инструктор остановился помочь 3-му участнику (запутался в перилах?), в это время Каверн времени не терял и убежал вперед до Т на перилах где взял ошибочное направление и ушел внутрь системы. Инструктор и дайвер 3 проследовали к выходу на декомпрессию предполагая, что догонят Каверн, при этом удивились что стейдж оставленный Каверн на перилах нетронут (подумали что он оставил его инструктору раз тот отдал ему внизу свой). Не застав Каврен в яме 3-й дайвер похерил деко и помчался за спасателями. Иструктор вернулся в систему и нашел труп без воздуха метров за 70 от оставленного стейджа, на дне, повернутый к выходу, с запиской о совершенной ошибке. Иструктор примотал его к перилам и вышел. Местные спасатели (семья Орловских ) вытащила труп. Основную ошибку допустил инструктор взяв Каверн дайвера на глубокий дайв (на EAN21) в пещере со сложной навигацией. 
