| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brousard, Don | Not recorded | Male | Lost consiousness | Not recorded |
A group of cavers entered Sótano de la Tinaja for the purpose of pushing a siphon in an attempt to connect the cave with Sótano del Arroyo. It was thought that the siphon might actually be only a sump with air space just on the other side of the duckunder. It was hoped that a swimmer could determine this within 20 feet, and if he could not, he was to return without going farther. Don Broussard was going to try the connection. He was wearing a diving mask and had a flashlight tied to his waist. John Fish was to belay Broussard with a safety line tied to the diver's waist.
"A system of tugging signals was arranged and the caver entered the siphon. After swimming about 17 feet he surfaced in what turned out to be only a small air space. He took several breaths glancing around the pocket to determine this and then dove to return to the group. At this moment he blacked out as the pocket apparently contained very little oxygen and a high concentration of methane. The belayer saw the rapid dropping of the caver's flashlight and quickly pulled him in with the assist- ance of the group. Upon being pulled from the water, the caver showed no signs of breathing so his throat was cleared of water and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation begun immediately. The caver slowly regained normal breathing and the group was able to exit the cave." (Inside Earth)
Analysis: Even with a safety line, diving with only a face mask and a flashlight is reckless. Diving in caves has always been extremely hazardous.
This record was last updated on 27th Apr 2024 at 23:11 UTC.