Accident at Ginnie-IUCRR notice

[Kelly Jessop]

This is an IUCRR notification to the cave diving community that yesterday. At about 1230 noon, a diver entered the water in Devils System, Ginnie Springs. Later that day Ginnie staffers learned the dive was for the purpose of exploration beyond the Hinkel restriction. The IUCRR learned that the diver was configured in a rebreather with sufficient scrubber to last 10 hours and also a side mount/no mount rig for the effort needed to make a passage through a suspected new lead.

The staff of Ginnie Springs reported the event to the IUCRR at 2130 hours yesterday. They also reported a degradation of visibility within the system making recreational diving unsafe. A preliminary inspection dive revealed that the visibility issue was caused by the attempted exploration and at that time the diver discovered a fatality at about 3300 or more feet in the system.

AT 0900 today an IUCRR recovery team extricated the body and later teams removed the individuals gear and paraphernalia used. Reports of the divers identity are being withheld at this time. The IUCRR extends condolences to the family. I would like to thanks Rose and Mark Meadows for their assistance, Lamar Hires the IUCRR Training Director and Jerry Murphy for their assistance in returning the body to the surface. The effort was enhanced by many others who gave surface support and diving assistance in this recovery.

As per IUCRR policy, a full report is being prepared for the Gilchrist County authorities for their evaluation and review. Once their review is concluded it will be released it to the cave diving community.

[Kelly Jessop]

www.gainesville.com/article/20080313/NEWS/803130316/1002/NEWS

Swiss man dies while cave-divingA man visiting the United States from Switzerland died Monday while cave-diving in Gilchrist County.

Continue to 2nd paragraph The body of Mark Fyvie, 35, was found about 3,800 feet into a cave system at Ginnie Springs, the Gilchrist County Sheriff's Office reported. Fyvie had been alone when he started his dive at about noon Monday into the cave system at an opening called the Devil's Eye.

Another diver began searching for Fyvie after he had failed to return by about 9 p.m., according to the Sheriff's Office. An hour and a half later, Fyvie's body was discovered.

Fyvie was alone at the park but had made arrangements to go to dinner, said Investigator Patrick Cordasco. "When he didn't show up at about that time, a friend of the victim knew where he was at," he said. Corey Mearns, another cave diver, then went into the water and later found Fyvie's body, authorities said.

The man's body was not removed from the caves until Tuesday because of darkness and safety concerns for a recovery team, the Sheriff's Office reported.

Fyvie's death remained under investigation by the Sheriff's Office on Wednesday.

Cordasco said it was not known when Fyvie died underwater. The man had been using a diving system that would have allowed a diver to remain underwater for a longer period of time than usual, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Called a rebreather, the device allows for the recycling of exhaled gas. That reduces the volume of breathing gas used, making it lighter and more compact than scuba equipment where a diver's entire breath is expelled into the water when the person exhales. The rebreather allows for longer or deeper dives.

Cordasco said Fyvie had been certified as a cave diver.

On Fyvie's Web site, photos feature his travels and dives. He described diving as a hobby and said he had been diving since 1993 and teaching diving since 2000, according to the site. Fyvie was a resident of Zollikon, a municipality in northern Switzerland.

"In recent years technical diving has become a bigger part of my life, causing my focus to shift away from sport diving instruction to more technical activities. When I want to enjoy myself you'll find me far inside a cave system or penetrating a deep wreck," Fyvie said on the site.

Another section of the site shows a picture of Fyvie and his fiance. The two had planned to marry in Venice on Sept. 6. "We look forward to sharing our happy day with all of you," the Web site states.

The cave system at Ginnie Springs has long been a popular area for divers. Called the Devil's Spring system, it houses three separate springs that produce about 80 million gallons of water daily, according to a Web site about Ginnie Springs.

The Devil's Eye is a round opening about 20 feet across that serves as the entrance to a cavern.

Lise Fisher can be reached at 352-374-5092 or [e-mail].

[Brian Roebuck]

Condolences to his family and friends. Apparently he was doing what he enjoyed when disaster struck - not a bad way to go if you have your choice in the matter.

Keep us posted on what happened if and when they figure it all out Kelly. Thanks for the postings.