KUALA LUMPUR Six Malaysian rescue divers drowned in a freak accident while searching for a boy who had gone missing in a pool at an abandoned tin mine, emergency officials said Thursday October 4th, 2018. The 17 year old boy had gone missing while fishing in the pool popular with anglers in the township of Puchong west of the capital Kuala Lumpur. Mohammad Hamdan Wahid, fire and rescue department director general, said the divers encountered strong undercurrents that spun them around in the murky water. Local police chief Abdul Aziz Ali said the spinning caused them to lose their diving gear. They were pulled out of the water after 30 minutes but by then they were already unconscious, he added. Fire chief Mohammas described the death of six officers in one day as the "Worst Tragedy" to hit his department.
The weir where it happened. Img from FMT
In the incident, four members of the force from Pelabuhan Klang (Mohd Fatah Hashim, 34; Izatul Akma Wan Ibrahim, 32; Mazlan Omarbaki, 25; and Yahya Ali, 24) as well as two members from Shah Alam (Adnan Othman, 33; and Muhammad Hidzful Malik Shaari, 25) drowned while searching for Mohd Ilham Fahmy, 17, who fell into the flooded mine that evening. The tragedy took place at the flood retention pond, Lot 336 in Sepang district, a former mining site and used as a reservoir to hold excess water runoff from the development of Cyberjaya and its surrounding areas.
The Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) will install a fence and erect more warning signs to prevent the public from entering the disused mining pool in Taman Putra Perdana, Puchong which claimed seven lives last Wednesday. (BERNAMA)
Based on a study, the pond’s water ‘live storage’ is about 1.5 million cubic meters while its estimated water intake is 15 million litres per day.
All six divers were certified for rescue diving. But they did not initially plan on diving. According to Mohammad Hamdan, it was supposed to be a surface water rescue, so all six weren’t wearing diving equipment when they were walking in a single file below the weir. And although the water was only chest-deep, heavy rains caused the water flow to be much faster, creating a strong current which turned the weir into a death machine. Normally, to escape the sideways whirlpool after a weir (see image), you huddle up into a ball until you reach the bottom, then swim out and away. However, that might not be so easy if you’re entangled with five other people. The change in current presumably happened while they were already in the water, so their tactics became unsuitable for the occasion. When asked on why the SAR operation was performed at night and not postponed to a better-illuminated time, Mohammad Hamdan had said that rescue operations had to continue anyway as someone's life was at stake.
People drowning, especially in mines, is also not an uncommon thing in Malaysia. A 2017 report had stated that an average of 1.6 people drown every day in Malaysia, or roughly 700 every year. Of that, 500 cases involved children below 18 years old.
Rich Aloha (left) with Richard Ragland’s parents
A treasure-hunting scuba diver in Tennessee found a GoPro camera — allowing him to share with grieving parents the final joy-filled moments of their son who had drowned two years earlier. Rich Aloha was floored when he found Richard Ragland’s missing camera after the 22-year-old died in 2017 while diving in the Forest Falls Recreation Area, according to WSB-TV. “I strongly believe that God led me to this GoPro because the only thing I saw was the end tip of the thumbscrew and everything else was just covered in muck,” he told the station. “I was going through the footage and I said, ‘Oh my God, this is the guy.'” The camera’s footage showed Ragland smiling and laughing in the Marion County waterfall with his friends — his final moments before he drowned that day.
Richard Ragland
Aloha, who calls himself a treasure hunter, tracked down Ragland’s parents in Sandy Springs, Georgia, and delivered the precious footage to them. Grieving mom Robin McCrear called it “an out-of-body experience” to see the footage of her son, who she said was “full of love, full of energy.” “What we’ve seen so far is Rich being Rich, living life to the fullest,” she told the station, saying they had not watched it all but hoped it may provide answers as to what happened. They were touched by Aloha’s act of kindness. “For him to go through his efforts to do his research, make numerous phone calls, he didn’t give up until he got in touch with us and that means the world to us,” she said.
YouTuber finds SD card containing man's last moments; returns to parents | WSB-TV
YouTuber RICH ALOHA - FOUND GoPro while SCUBA DIVING Containing Man's Last Moments on EARTH! 🤯
The vlogger wrote on Facebook that his heart breaks for the family. “I’m beyond amazed that God used me as a vessel for His glory to return such a priceless GoPro to the family!!! #Miracles happen and #Prayers really do get answered!” he wrote.
Brothers Fergus and Philip Brophy from Lough near Portarlington Co Laois, who both lost their lives in a scuba diving accident at the Portroe Dive Centre in Portroe quarry outside Nenagh Co Tipperary .
Photo: Frank McGrath
The deaths of Laois brothers Fergus and Philip Brophy, who drowned in a diving incident in Co Tipperary on Sunday, 5th July 2020, has left a “deep void” in the lives of their families, their funeral has heard. The joint funeral of Fergus (43) and his younger brother Philip (34) took place at St John’s Church in Killenard on Thursday. The brothers, originally from Portarlington, died following a scuba diving accident at Portroe quarry on that Sunday. Fr Tom Dooley, parish priest at Portarlington, said their “great passion” was sub aqua diving and that they were “dive masters”. He said the local community was “shocked and saddened” to hear of their deaths.
Portroe quarry NorthTipperary
“We could scarcely believe it on Sunday evening and we can scarcely believe it now. We have lost two valued and loved members of our community,” he said. “Their tragic deaths has created a deep void in the lives of Séamus and Dinah, their parents, and in the life of Michelle, Fergus’s wife, in the lives of their brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts and the extended family and friends. “All of us have questions, why did this happen but there is one question in the minds of the family, could we not have them back?
Family and Friends pay there respects. 42-year-old Fergus Brophy, along with his 34-year-old brother Philip, from Lough, Portarlington, died on Sunday afternoon.
“Could these unbelievable things be wiped out? Could we be awakened from this nightmare that overwhelms us? And there are no easy answers to these questions.” Fr Dooley said both men excelled in their studies and in their places of work. “Both loved sport and played football here with O’Dempseys [GAA club], were loyal supporters of the Laois team. They loved to compete, even compete against each other,” he added. He said sub aqua diving had brought them all over the world, to “exotic places like Malta, Mexico, Brazil and Egypt”. A particular highlight for the family was Philip winning a gold medal at an Ironman competition in Nice, France.
Ironman France Nice
IRONMAN France Nice 2019 Race Movie
IRONMAN France Nice 2019 Race Movie
“Today, instead of thinking what might be, let us think more of their achievements and their accomplishments,” he said. Offertory gifts included a Leinster rugby jersey, a Laois GAA jersey, a jersey from their local GAA club O’Dempseys, a set of darts and a toy tractor. Burial took place afterwards at the adjoining cemetery. It is understood the two men travelled to Portroe Dive Centre, which is located at the quarry, to try out a new underwater scooter. However, both drowned after one tried to help the other when they got into difficulty in the 40m deep water. The siblings were frequent visitors to Portroe Quarry where divers from all over the country and beyond come to train and hone their diving skills, as well as explore a number of sunken wrecks.
KCS Retro Laois Jersey
KCS Retro Laois Jersey
The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) (Irish: Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Laois) or Laois GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Laois. The county board is also responsible for the Laois county teams. Laois are a dual county, enjoying comparative success at both football and hurling. Laois are one of a select group of counties to have contested All Ireland finals in both football and hurling, and are six times Leinster Senior Football Champions, and three times Leinster Senior Hurling Champions. In recent times Laois have been more successful footballers than hurlers. Laois minors have had considerable success over the past two decades, and the Laois senior footballers reached the Leinster final in 2003 (victorious), 2004, and 2005.
Laois hurlers currently compete in the Joe McDonagh Cup, a competition reserved for the second tier hurling counties.
Laois GAA hurling odyssey ends in Croker pride of fans
Laois contested the second ever All-Ireland final in 1889 and also won the first ever National Football League final beating Dublin in the 1926 final. 1936 saw the only other appearance by Laois in an All-Ireland senior decider. Laois beat Monaghan by a point in the 1986 National Football League final. Liam Irwin and Colm Browne both won All Stars for their performances that year. During the 1990s Laois had a number of successes at Minor and U-21 level, including All-Ireland Minor Football Championships in 1996 and 1997. During the mid-2000s Laois football became a strong force at all age levels. Under former Kerry and Kildare manager Mick O'Dwyer, Laois were National Football League runners up and Leinster Senior Football Championship winners in 2003. Laois would go on to contest the Leinster Senior Football Championship Final again in 2004 (lost after a replay) and 2005 (lost by 1 point). During the same period the Minor team were All-Ireland Minor Champions in 2003, and Leinster Champions in 2004, 2005, and 2007, while the U-21 panel were Leinster Champions in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, Mick O'Dwyer's management of Laois ended and he was replaced by the former Limerick manager, Liam Kearns. After two years Liam Kearns was replaced by Sean Dempsey in 2008. Dempsey who had led the Laois minors to All-Ireland success in 2003 commenced a major re-building exercise in 2009 but failed to achieve any success and was replaced by Justin McNulty for the 2011 season. After three seasons in charge, McNulty stepped down to be replaced by Tomás Ó Flatharta. Laois won the Joe McDonagh Cup in 2019, and went on to shock Dublin in the preliminary quarter-final the next week to reach the All-Ireland Quarter Final. This was considered one of the greatest shocks in the history of the championship.
A major emergency operation swung into play at the quarry on Sunday 5th July 2020 afternoon involving search and rescue groups, Killaloe Coast Guard, gardaí and paramedics. Efforts by rescue personnel to revive the brothers were unsuccessful and their bodies were transferred to University Hospital Limerick for postmortems.
Quarry at Portroe in Co Tipperary.
Three teenagers exploring a riverside cave complex in St. Paul died on Tuesday, April 27th 2004 apparently of carbon monoxide poisoning. The authorities have sealed an entrance to the caves but they expressed doubt that they could prevent people from getting in. The three died while exploring a complex known as the Wabasha Street caves, the police said. They were identified Wednesday as Nicholas Lee Larson, Natalie Lorraine Vanvorst and Patrick Gerard Dague, all 17. A fourth teenager, whose name was not released, was rescued, and his condition was upgraded Wednesday from critical to serious. A 17-year-old boy who escaped the cave on his own and alerted the authorities about the others was treated at a hospital and released. He also was not identified.
Natalie Van Vorst aged only 17 years.
One boy who noticed he was becoming lightheaded inside the cave managed to get out and get help. A rescue team from the St. Paul Fire Department went into the cave with special breathing equipment and managed to revive another boy. "He's now in a hyperbaric chamber in a local hospital," Schnell said. Officer Paul Schnell, spokesman for the St. Paul Police said fire department officials reported that the carbon monoxide levels inside the cave were extremely high, and the air contained only 15 percent oxygen. "There was no way of getting fresh air," said St. Paul Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard. "The cave had been sealed by the city, but they dug it out."
This appears to be the cave used by The City Brewery, which was started by a Dominic Troyer in 1855. In 1860 Troyer decided to return to Europe and sold the brewery to a partnership of Funk and Schwitzer. Through a few more ownership shuffles it eventually became the Frederick Emmert Brewery, and at a peak production of 6,000 barrels a year circa 1880 it was a major player. After his death in 1889 Emmert's sons ran the brewery until the turn of the century after which it was sold to the rival Hamm's Brewery who used it for storage. A pilgrimage to this cave site is clearly no problem. I suggest a visit to the Science Museum too, its very well done.
The problem is that brewing beer in St. Paul was such a great success that the breweries excavated some whopping great caves, especially in the 1870s when their original pioneer locations became too cramped. Some of these caves are decidedly unsafe and there have over the years been a string of fatal accidents associated with them. This would be an excellent time to mention again that just because brewery caves are fascinating is not a reason to go into them. Some are deadly.
Even though the Wabasha Street Caves are, well, technically not caves, it remains an incredibly unique part of St. Paul’s history.
The Wabasha Street Caves is the most unique facility for private events in the Twin Cities. Located along the Mississippi River in downtown St. Paul, The Wabasha Street Caves offers a fascinating and mysterious setting for your next gathering event. The Caves 12,000 square feet of space is tastefully finished with brick walls, stucco ceilings, carpeted dining space and beautiful tile floors in the cocktail area. There is a theatrical stage, large hardwood dance floor, plenty of dining and meeting space, and a handsome 60 foot bar. Since the Caves are underground, geothermal energy is used to help limit the fuel needed for heating and we can conserve energy without the use of air conditioning. This is our part of going GREEN!
The Wabasha Street Caves is an event hall built into the sandstone caves located on the south shore of the Mississippi River in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota. The caves have been home to mobsters, speakeasies, and in more recent years have begun hosting a "Swing" Night" on Thursday nights with live big-band music. The Wabasha Street Caves also provide historical tours of the sandstone caves in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The caves, which technically are mines because they are manmade, are carved out of sandstone and date back to the 1840s. Throughout history the caves have been used for a number of different activities, including growing mushrooms, storage of food and belongings, music, and dancing.
In the 1920s, the caves were used as a restaurant and nightclub venue known as the Wabasha Street Speakeasy. The speakeasy was said to have been frequented by gangsters such as John Dillinger and Ma Barker, however there is no evidence that these visits occurred; thus, these stories are considered legend. On October 26, 1933, Josie & William Lehmann opened the Castle Royal, which was built into the side of the caves. Castle Royal was closed in the late 1930s due to the start of World War II and went back to primarily being a place to grow mushrooms. Some time in the 1970s, Castle Royal 2 was opened as a venue for Disco music. The caves have also been used as a place of storage for debris and belongings that were washed up from flooding. Some of these things can still be found in the caves today.
John Dillinger
Ma Barker
John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster of the Great Depression. He led a group known as the "Dillinger Gang" which was accused of robbing 24 banks and 4 police stations. Dillinger escaped from jail twice. He was charged but not convicted of the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana, police officer who shot Dillinger in his bullet proof vest during a shootout. It was the only time Dillinger was charged with homicide.After evading police in four states for almost a year, Dillinger was wounded and went to his father's home to mend. He returned to Chicago in July 1934 and sought refuge in a brothel owned by Ana Cumpănaș. She informed authorities of his whereabouts. On July 22, 1934, the police and G-men closed in on the Biograph Theater. Federal agents, led by Melvin Purvis and Samuel P. Cowley, moved to arrest Dillinger as he exited the theater. He drew a gun while attempting to flee, but was killed. This was ruled as justifiable homicide.
Betty Nelson and Rosella Nelson view the body of John Dillinger, 32, while in bathing suits at the Cook County Morgue, located at Polk and Wood Streets, in Chicago. In the days after Dillinger was killed on July 22, 1934, massive crowds lined up outside the morgue to get a glimpse of the notorious public enemy. (Chicago Herald & Examiner historical photo) ....OUTSIDE TRIBUNE CO.- NO MAGS, NO SALES, NO INTERNET, NO TV, CHICAGO OUT, NO DIGITAL MANIPULATION... CHICAGO TRIBUNE CRIME HIST
(Chicago Tribune / Chicago Tribune)
Kate Barker (née Clark; October 8, 1873 – January 16, 1935), better known as Ma Barker and sometimes as Arizona Barker as well as Arrie Barker, was the mother of several American criminals who ran the Barker-Karpis gang during the "public enemy ere" when the exploits of gangs of criminals in the Midwest gripped the American people and press. She traveled with her sons during their criminal careers. Barker gained a reputation as a ruthless crime matriarch who controlled and organized her sons' crimes. J.Edgar Hoover described her as "the most vicious, dangerous, and resourceful criminal brain of the last decade". She has been presented as a monstrous mother in films, songs, and literature. However, those who knew her insisted that she had no criminal role, and they allege that Hoover created such accusations to excuse the FBI for killing her. She was killed in a shootout with the FBI.
So the city has been doing some serious engineering in attempts to permanently seal the entrances to caves, and many historic brewery caves now look like this: Not much left, just a big blob of cement and a tiny corner of the cave still visible upper left. The inside has also been filled with debris and obstacles. I understand that rolled up chain link fencing mixed with concrete has been especially effective.
Cave visitors sometimes start fires, creating a buildup of carbon monoxide in the caverns, Chief Holton said. But he said he did not believe the teenagers themselves started any fire on Tuesday because there was no smoke in the cave and the group had flashlights. Rescue workers found the group about 600 feet into the caves. The boy who alerted officials said he briefly lost consciousness and fumbled in darkness before he saw light from a hole and found his way out. ''I woke up and tried to find some way to get out,'' said the teenager, who did not want his name used.
The man-made system, located near Wabasha Street and Plato Boulevard along the southern bank of the Mississippi, has posed a danger for curious teens and underprepared explorers for decades. It has claimed the lives of a handful of people since the early 1990s and led to countless rescue operations by the fire department. “These caves are not safe, they’re illegal to be in … and they could become dangerous very quickly,” said St. Paul Assistant Fire Chief Mike Gaede. The man-made system, located near Wabasha Street and Plato Boulevard along the southern bank of the Mississippi, has posed a danger for curious teens and underprepared explorers for decades. It has claimed the lives of a handful of people since the early 1990s and led to countless rescue operations by the fire department.
“These caves are not safe, they’re illegal to be in … and they could become dangerous very quickly,” Gaede said. The city has found hundreds of holes leading into the caves, most of which are dug by trespassers. They can range from 10 feet to more than a mile in depth and can connect to other underground tunnels. “They are very extensive, very elaborate,” Gaede said.
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A friend of Natalie Lorraine Vanvorst, 17, who died Tuesday in a series of caves along with Patrick Gerard Dague, 17, and Nicholas Lee Larson, 17, weeps while visiting the hillside memorial to the three teenagers in St. Paul, Minn.
Whenever a new opening is found, the Fire Department’s technical rescue team is called to clear out the hole. The city’s parks and recreation services then hires crews to permanently seal the entry. Still, groups, communicating both off- and online, share which holes have been closed and which entryways remain open, Gaede said. “We’re constantly trying to stay up with them,” said Gaede, who was previously part of the technical rescue team and is now the chief of fire and rescue operations.
And with good reason. People can and have become lost, injured, or killed while roaming inside the cave system. It is a “zero-light situation” underground, he said. While people use their cellphones to light the way, those batteries can quickly be depleted.
A sign warns of the dangers of entering the cave system.
“It becomes a matter of life and death, because that’s the only way to see where you’re going,” he said. To make matters worse, he added, there is no cellular service, making it impossible to call for help from below. People can lose their way inside the tunnels or trip and fall and be injured, Gaede said. There are also high levels of carbon monoxide, which is odorless and undetectable, leading people to become lightheaded, lose consciousness or die from poisoning. In 2004, three teenagers died from carbon-monoxide poisoning after entering the caves. Two 17-year-old girls were found dead in the caves 12 years earlier. When called to respond, the technical rescue team brings all sorts of gear and safety equipment, including ropes, lights, shovels, GPS systems and air-monitoring equipment that can track the quality of the air inside the tunnels, Gaede said.
Two people are rescued from the Mississippi cave system in another incident.
Earlier this week, the city had identified an entry and had reached out to the fire department with hopes of clearing and closing the hole Saturday, Gaede said. On Friday afternoon, nearby business owners saw the two teens enter the hole. When they didn’t come out after about 40 minutes, they called 911, Gaede said. The technical rescue team arrived and found the teens. They were not injured and walked out by themselves. The Fire Department finished plugging the hole Saturday morning, Gaede said. Crews will permanently seal it on Monday. "One of the most sad things about today's incident is that not 50 yards from the cave they were in there was a warning sign put up by the parents of the two dead girls" from the 1992 incident, Schnell said.
Travis Bungum
Lambert’s Cave is in Lilydale Regional Park, up the bluffs from Water Street and just west of the High Bridge. St. Paul sealed the main entrance years ago. Bungum apparently entered a recently opened vent hole, which the city will close as soon as possible, said Brad Meyer, Parks and Recreation spokesman. The cave apparently is a popular place for exploration, according to the man who has written the book on the Twin Cities’ literal underground. St. Paul sealed the entrances to 20 to 30 caves after three teens died from carbon monoxide poisoning in 2004 while exploring caves along Plato Boulevard. All the caves with blockaded entrances have been marked with “No trespassing” signs, including the entrance to Lambert’s Cave, Meyer said. Bungum said he didn’t see any of the signs on Saturday. Paramedics took Bungum to the hospital, where he was treated and released. He said Monday that he’s sore and “pretty beat up — a lot of cuts, a lot of bruises.” His right arm is in a sling for hairline fractures, he said. He said he also was treated for smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning. Firefighters found smoke and elevated carbon monoxide levels from Bungum’s fire, which was out when they arrived, McDonough said. Bungum said he hadn’t thought about the carbon monoxide risk.
Travis Bungum, 18, said he was exploring a Mississippi River bluffs cave Saturday night with four people he had known for years and thought were his friends. The group was looking for a way out and the Hudson, Wis., teen handed off two flashlights so he could climb. At the top of the cave, “my so-called friends took off and left the cave,” Bungum said, adding that they cut the twine line they’d been using to find their way out and left him in the pitch black with only the things he had in his pockets — his cellphone, two lighters and a knife. “I tried climbing down with the light of my lighters, slipped and fell down a 20-foot shaft,” landing on a cement slab, Bungum said Monday. Bungum yelled for help, got no response and tried navigating around the cave to find a high point where he could get a cellphone signal to seek help. “I was soaked and cold,” he said. “I made my way back around looking for ways out with lighters because my phone died. I scavenged for whatever I could burn to start a fire for heat. I was trapped. I was fighting to survive.”
Wabasha Street Caves
Wabasha Street Caves
MIAMI (CBSMiami) — Investigators in Volusia County are trying to figure out why a man died over the weekend cave diving. He was diving with his 16 year old son, when decided to do a deeper dive on his own. CBS4 received the investigative report Wednesday which is giving us some insight into what happened. Cave diving is quite popular in central and northern Florida, where a majority of these caves are located.
The area this man was diving was quite challenging and it’s clear something went wrong. For years scuba divers have been drawn to Blue Spring State Park, just North of Orlando. The park’s crystal clear fresh water, combined with gorgeous caverns and caves is inviting.
Rhys Matteson Dervan, age 56, of Ocoee,
Blue Spring State Park Orlando
On Sunday, June 7th, 2015 Rhys Dervan took his 16-year old son diving there. Midway through, his son wanted to stop. Rather than get out, his father continued diving. He planned to go to a 120 foot deep underwater cave. According to investigators, he did not switch out to a new tank. About four hours later, Volusia Sheriff’s Department divers recovered his body. Reports show he was found approximately 70-feet deep. He had his flashlight still in the on position. He had dropped his weight belt, typically done to surface in an emergency. His scuba tank was empty. While the investigation will take time to figure why Dervan ran out of air diving attorney and cave diving instructor Alton Hall has his suspicions. “I think it’s extremely rare that it just happens. In 30 years of diving, I’m only aware of one incident in which a diver died in a cave without breaking of the primary rules of cave diving,” Hall said.
TOP 5 SPRINGS in FLORIDA with a CAMPGROUND
TOP 5 SPRINGS in FLORIDA with a CAMPGROUND
The five safety rules for cave diving include things like training, using a rope to find your way out, saving two thirds of your tanks to exit, not going too deep and having multiple adequate light sources. Break the rules and the risks go up. No one keeps an official track of all cave diving fatalities but it’s estimated a little more than a dozen people die nationwide every year. Hall explained, “The numbers aren’t astronomical or real high. The incident rates per 100,000 dives. So I don’t necessarily think its something that calls for more government intervention.” The cave diving industry is actually self-regulated. Essentially the responsibility and the risk falls to the diver. It us unclear what certifications this diver had. CBS4’s David Sutta has inquired with the Department of Environmental Protection, who operates Blue Spring.
Nature: Manatees in Blue Spring State Park
Nature: Manatees in Blue Spring State Park
Varanasi (UP), May 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) Five teenaged boys drowned in the Ganga river here while taking a bath on Friday morning.
Published: 29th May 2020 03:36 PM
VARANASI: Five teenaged boys drowned in the Ganga river here while taking a bath on Friday morning. Initial reports said that the boys were making a TikTok video when one of them slipped into the water while the others drowned while trying to save him.
However, PRO Sanjay Tripathi in the SSP office denied this and said that they had waded into deep waters and drowned. Divers were pressed into service to rescue the boys, whose bodies were later retrieved. The bodies were taken to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital in Ram Nagar where the doctors declared all the five as brought dead. The deceased have been identified as Tausif, 19, Fardeen, 14, Saif,15, Rizwan,15, and Saki, 14. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the incident. He has asked senior officials to provide relief to the family members of the deceased.
Diving Browning Wall - Scuba Diving Nanaimo.
Two divers killed on deep dive near Nanaimo: Friday October, 11th 2013
Rescue teams raced to the scene within minutes of getting calls for help, but it was too late to save two of three divers who ventured into the depths on Snake Wall, in the waters of Georgia Strait. The rock wall, described on some diving websites as "the abyss," plunges to more than 180 metres on the north side of Snake Island just a 15-minute boat ride from Nanaimo. The three divers, Washington State residents whose names have yet to be released, left the charter boat Sea Dragon on Friday afternoon and began a dive that was to take two of them to extreme depths. One diver, who survived, held at a shallower level before returning to the surface.
From left: Divers Robert Scott Young and Harold John Burkholder died; Bill Sherman survived.
Photograph By FAMILY PHOTOS, VIA FACEBOOK
"There were three people that buddied up for this deep dive," Donnie Reid of the Dive Industry Association of BC said in a statement Sunday. "Complications arose on the dive. One of the divers made it safely back to the surface and is in good health. The two other divers in the group were not as fortunate." Mr. Reid said he didn't want to speculate on what might have gone wrong and would await findings from a formal investigation. "There's very little detail right now," Mr. Reid said. "The police have passed it on to the coroner's office … Because it was underwater and there was only the three of them, there is only speculation now on our part as to what happened." He did say one of the two divers who died had managed to struggle back to the surface, but rescue workers were unable to save him.
"One diver did return to the surface, but later died due to injuries sustained on the dive," he said. The other diver's body was not recovered until Sunday, by a commercial diver who went to 80 metres. "They knew just about exactly where he should have been, and that's where they found him," said Barbara McLintock of the B.C. Coroners Service. She said the diver who survived was not in visual contact at the time of the accident, and hasn't been able to say what happened.
Snake Island is a small, uninhabited, rocky island northeast of Nanaimo. It is a minor member of the large group of islands east of southern Vancouver Island called the Gulf Islands. It is a bird sanctuary, and home to a colony of harbour seals. The island is a frequent destination for local wildlife tours, and the rocky shores and reefs around the island are popular with divers. Local seals have become accustomed to divers in the water, and will interact with them. Snake Island is near the site of the artificial reef created by the sinking of HMCS Cape Breton, a Second World War Victory Ship. The vessel was acquired and prepared by the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia.
Snake Island - home to a colony of harbor seals
"They were highly, highly experienced divers," she said.
Mr. Reid said Snake Island is one of the most popular places to dive on the West Coast, which is regarded as one of the best locations in the world for recreational diving because of its cold, clear water where sea life abounds. The small, rocky island is located just outside Nanaimo's harbour, on the east coast of Vancouver Island. It lies on the busy Horseshoe Bay-to-Nanaimo ferry route and is a diving hotspot because of its rich marine life and two nearby wrecks – the HMCS Saskatchewan and the HMCS Cape Breton, which were scuttled near the island to create artificial reefs. The two navy destroyers lie in about 40 m of water, within easy reach of most recreational divers.
The HMCS Saskatchewan, Radar Platform, a 366-foot-long Mackenzie-class destroyer escort, is British Columbia's most visited dive site; hundreds of thousands of dives have been logged on it by divers from around the globe.
Snake Wall, however, is a more challenging feature that plunges down the north side of the island. Mr. Reid said the three divers reportedly headed deep down that wall, with two of them reportedly expected to go to about the 70-m level. "My understanding is they were fairly experienced divers," he said when asked if the divers had headed for unsafe depths. "Recreational diving today has moved into a different realm. We have technical divers who have had a lot of training, but like anything, people are pushing back barriers. That's just a general comment, not specific to this accident."
He said he would not call technical, deep diving dangerous. "Diving is a safe sport – but it's an unforgiving environment," he said. "I'm trying to think if there's any other activity out there where you are so dependent on supplying your own life support. The only thing that really comes to mind is going to space." The accident has sparked discussions on dive websites, where users are wondering what happened.
"Seems like a pretty deep profile, regardless of the location," a dive master identified as ibj40 posted on Scubaboard.com. "The question is whether they were prepared to make this dive, and what went wrong."
Scuba Diving Nanaimo
"Snake Island wall is commonly used as a training area for tech diving due to the fast drop off and easy navigation (all upward slopes lead to the Island)," wedivebc said in another posting. "I don't know anything about the divers involved but I do know enough about the dive charter operator to know they would be very unlikely to knowingly let someone do that type of dive off their boat without proper training and equipment."
The diving spot features the Snake Island Wall, a shallow shelf that drops more than 150 metres, according to the Vancouver Island Dive Sites website. On Oct. 10, the day before the accident, Burkholder’s Facebook page showed him crossing the U.S.-Canada border. At 10:25 a.m. on the morning of the accident, Burkholder posted an update that said, “Breakfast before the dive into the abyss! With Robert S Young and Bill Sherman at Tania’s.” Tania’s Restaurant is on Departure Bay Road in Nanaimo. Then, at 1:27 p.m., Burkholder wrote: “Bob’s having trouble updating his dive computer software. We’re going anyway!” Divers use diving computers to time descent and gauge depth so they know how much air or gas they have left. The data also help divers to return to the surface at the proper pace, to avoid decompression sickness or an embolism. The RCMP and coroners office are investigating but are not releasing information yet about what happened, said coroners spokeswoman Barb McLintock.
Young’s obituary said he was a career soldier, retiring in 1996 as a major at Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington. At the time of his death, he was living in Olympia and worked at Engility Corporation at the base as a simulation program analyst. He was married to Choon Hong Park for more than 32 years. Burkholder’s Facebook page indicates he, too, was in the military and that a funeral and burial service is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 28 in Puyallup, Wash., followed by a military memorial service Nov. 2.
Diving the HMCS Saskatchewan
Diving the HMCS Saskatchewan
Fatin Nabilah Awang and Krystal Chia
SINGAPORE (THE NEW PAPER) - Seventeen hours after a Singaporean woman went missing while scuba diving in Indonesian waters, and after five hours of searching, a local diving guide spotted her body. She was floating about 12 metres below the surface of the water. When he got closer, he noticed that her diving regulator's mouthpiece was missing. Miss Vera Neo Qiu Ping, 27, was part of a group of Singaporeans who arrived at Gili Lawa in Komodo National Park, West Manggarai Regency, last Saturday for a five-day diving holiday. At 5pm on Sunday, she failed to resurface with the other divers and the authorities were alerted.
Miss Vera Neo Qiu Ping - Went missing on April 24th, 2016.
Local diving guide Putu Sudiartana, who led the group, and other divers searched for Miss Neo until 10pm but there was no sign of her. When daylight broke at 6am the next day, Mr Putu, another local guide, Mr Agustinus, and two of Miss Neo's friends resumed the search. It was about 11am when Mr Putu found Miss Neo's body, he wrote in a Facebook post yesterday. "Her body was floating about 12 metres underwater, without her regulator in her mouth. The regulator's mouthpiece was also missing. It probably got stuck to something," he wrote. Mr Putu had given his account of what happened on Facebook after online speculation that Miss Neo, who worked in finance, could have drowned after being caught in a whirlpool.
He said the group had set out on Saturday morning on a cruise boat run by tour company Komodo Trails to Sebayur Island to check-dive to ensure everyone could dive with ease. Afterwards, the group was divided into two between Mr Agustinus and him. "We also dove that night on the island of Gili Lawa Barat and all seemed fine," Mr Pulu wrote in Bahasa Indonesia. On Sunday morning, they dove in Castle Rock, then spent the afternoon at Crystal Rock and reached The Shotgun, one of Komodo's famous diving sites known for its rip currents, at about 4pm. All three are popular diving sites near Gili Lawa. At the time, Miss Neo was in Mr Agustinus' group.
Image Left - DROWNED: A Facebook photo of Miss Vera Neo Qiu Ping who went missing on Sunday April 24th 2016. Her body was found on Monday morning.
"When we got off the boat, everything looked fine but when we were about to start, the currents got stronger," said Mr Putu. He then led them to calmer waters. But they were in the water for only three minutes before they were called back to the boat. "We were told that a diver was missing, so I dove again with the diver's buddy and two dive masters from another boat in the area. "At the same time, the boat captain called the authorities to report the missing passenger," he said. They gave up the search late at night. "Two of the victim's friends, Agustinus and I continued the search at about 6 the next morning but she was still nowhere to be found," said Mr Putu. About three hours later, the National Search and Rescue Agency (SAR) Republic of Indonesia started an eight-man search operation.
TNP INFOGRAPHIC: KELVIN CHAN
Mr Putu said: "I told the SAR team to snorkel around the water surface while the rest of us dove deeper." Nine minutes later, Mr Putu, who was accompanied by Miss Neo's friend, found Miss Neo's body. He slowly pushed the body to the surface of the water where it was retrieved by the SAR team. The agency told The Straits Times that Miss Neo's body was found near the dive site at about 11am on Monday and it was taken to Siloam Hospital in Labuan Bajo on Flores Island. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman said it is in touch with Miss Neo's family and will continue to provide consular assistance to them.
Diving map of the area, courtesy Blue Marlin Komodo
"Our embassy in Jakarta has deployed an officer to Labuan Bajo, who will remain in close contact with the local authorities and help the other Singaporeans who are there," said the spokesman. It is understood that Miss Neo's relatives have gone to the hospital to claim her body. When contacted, Mr Ooi Kang Sheng, one of the Singaporeans on the trip, said it was too early to comment on the incident as "we are focusing on bringing Vera back to Singapore with us". Mr Putu expressed his deepest condolences and apologised for not being able to save Miss Neo. "I hope this post will explain the actual chronology of events that happened that day," he said.
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Batu Bolong. Olympus OM-D E-M1, Nauticam housing, Oly 8mm fisheye lens, 2x Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobes. f/7.1, 1/100 sec, ISO 200.
Although uncommon, a mouthpiece could dislodge from its tube if it is not secured properly, said freelance diving instructor Edmund Low The 43-year-old, who has more than 12 years of instructional diving experience, said: "When the mouthpiece comes off, the diver will start drinking water and may panic. "Although divers are trained to retrieve their alternative air source, panic may prevent them from doing so." An alternative air source is typically attached near the diver's chest in case of an emergency. Mr Low said: "There are many 'maybes' in this incident. If the alternative air source is not secured properly, it will be flailing behind the diver, making it difficult for the diver to retrieve it. "The diver (Miss Neo) may also have knocked against something and passed out before the mouthpiece was dislodged." Despite media reports that Miss Neo was an experienced diver, Mr Low said she was nowhere near what would be considered an "experienced diver".
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Sea snake at Batu Pengah. Olympus OM-D E-M1, Nauticam housing, Oly 8mm fisheye lens, 2x Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobes. f/8, 1/320 sec, ISO 200.
Miss Neo was reported to have became a qualified autonomous diver with Scuba Schools International in October 2014 and earned her Advanced Adventurer certification in December that year after going on at least 18 dives. Mr Low said: "The syllabus for recreational diving is adequate. But experience is key for divers to be able to execute the right processes in a state of panic and emergency." Another diving instructor, who has 22 years of instructional diving experience, said: "Even divers who have clocked 1,000 dives are only considered 'mid-stream'. "Her Advanced Adventurer certification merely indicates that she has completed a certain number of dives," he said. The instructor, who declined to be named, has dived at Gili Lawa and said that it is a popular diving site renowned for its beauty that is "like no other", its variety of marine creatures and the chance to see a Komodo dragon.
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Green sea turtle hanging out on the coral. Olympus OM-D E-M1, Nauticam housing, Oly 8mm fisheye lens, 2x Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobes. f/7.1, 1/160 sec, ISO 200.
Possible causes for fatal dives include panic and gear malfunction, he said. "A diver might not think rationally when he panics. When visibility suddenly becomes poor, the diver might swim around in circles looking for other divers instead of resurfacing," he added. Recommended diving safety protocols include having a buddy system and a minimum ratio of at least one dive guide to four divers, he said. But he was quick to add that safety protocols vary across countries and dive operators. He suggests that divers who want to dive overseas should book tours with reputable and licensed dive operators in Singapore, not just for safety concerns, but also to avoid complications when making insurance claims if an accident occurs. He also recommends that divers should thoroughly research a dive site before attempting to dive there and have some "self-awareness", which some divers lack, on whether they are suited to dive at particular sites.
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Manta at manta point. Olympus OM-D E-M1, Nauticam housing, Oly 8mm fisheye lens, 2x Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobes. f/7.1, 1/250 sec, ISO 200.
Diving in Shotgun - Komodo HD
Diving in Shotgun - Komodo HD
It has a dramatic name but it's not particularly onerous. The first couple of times I dived it we had to fin all the way even though it supposedly had a "medium current" You drop in onto a sandy bottom approx 10m and hang about - occasional manta and often lots of Jenkins Sting rays on the bottom Then head in to a channel which might have a bit of a drift - often reef sharks around Over a fish bowl at 24m then though a narrowing of a channel where the drift may speed up. You then fin across the current and end the dive in a sheltered bay and soft coral garden. Current can be like those in the Maldives. People comfort levels differ. I don't' find Indo or Maldive currents that bad, but that's because I dive in properly strong currents at home. The guides will only drop people in if they're happy that everyone will be okay. People's adrenaline often makes it seem much more exciting than it is. Our boat had lots of people with only 50 dives so you'll be okay - Diving Dubai - Instructor, Scuba
The archipelago of Nusa Tenggara is not just known for its ferocious Komodo Dragons. It is also the location of some world class diving sites. For tourists coming to the islands of Komodo, Rinca, and Flores, it will be the airport of Labuan Bajo on Flores where you will make your landing. Theoretically, you could also arrive in the area on the PELNI ferries, but this is not advisable. If you are part of a tour group, then your hosts should pick you up from the airport and take you to your hotel (or boat!), but if you are travelling independently, you should first find somewhere to stay in the town of Labuan Bajo and acclimatise before heading off elsewhere in the region.
There are shipwrecks galore in the Komodo area, especially around Komodo Island itself – but I have no idea why that is! The southern side of Rinca island is also an interesting place in which to case your stay in the area, although your decision will invariably depend on which diving group you sign up to. Komodo Dragons are present on Komodo and Rinca islands, but not on Flores. But the bad news for you is that they are very good swimmers – so I hope you don’t encounter these maneaters when you’re in the water! Scuba diving in the Komodo Marine Reserve is possible all year round, but the best diving conditions run from March to October. The best season to see plenty of Manta Rays is during the rainy season from December to February, although not all dive clubs go out at sea during the rainy season so check with your operator. From January to March the sea can be a bit choppy but this shouldn’t affect you when underwater.
One of the best things about diving Komodo is that you will often feel as you are the only ones underwater as there are just so many dive sites. Also the local dive centres agree on not diving the same site at the same time. The average price of a dive is around $30USD. Reefseekers, Dive Komodo, Blue Marlin, and Orca Dive Club are among the best choices in Labuan Bajo for you to contact in regards to diving all over the Komodo region.
Currents are usually very strong on every dive site and diving in Komodo is mostly reserved to experienced divers with confidence in drift diving! There are, however, some quieter dive spots for those beginners but you may miss the incredible action of big fish swimming into the current. The current can sometimes reach 8 knots in some places. It is driven by tides so choose your dive site carefully which you can plan depending on the conditions. This current is due to the Komodo and Rinca island acting like a bottleneck between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
The Komodo waters are incredibly rich in marine life, and it is usual to spot Dogtooth Tuna, Giant trevally, Barracuda, Manta rays, Blacktip shark, Hammerhead sharks, pygmy sea horse, frog fish – and the famous “Wall of Fish”, which are present everywhere in the region.
Diving Castle Rock, Komodo
Diving Castle Rock, Komodo
Ms Rinta Paul Mukkam, who was diving off Indonesia's Gili Lawa Laut when she went missing on Thursday, 13th July 2017 was an experienced diver, said her brother Roy Paul Mukkam, who posted on Facebook appealing for help in locating her.PHOTO: ROY PAUL MUKKAM/FACEBOOK
SINGAPORE - The search for missing Singaporean diver Rinta Paul Mukkam has been called off after 10 days. Indonesia's search and rescue agency (Basarnas) operational director Maj. Gen Heronimus Guru confirmed with The Straits Times on Sunday (July 23) that search operations had stopped. "Our standard operations are seven days of search and we extended another three days but to no avail. We ended the operations with no results," Mr Heronimus said. The operations involved 90 search and rescue officials. Dr Rashmi Yash Paul, 36, a family friend, said that there are no plans to extend their search further at this point. Ms Rinta's brother, Mr Roy Paul Mukkam, and brother-in-law are due to return to Singapore from Indonesia today (Mon). However, Dr Rashmi hopes that those living in the area where Ms Rinta went missing will continue to "bear Rinta in mind". She added that posters with a reward of US$10,000 ($13,600) had been distributed among the locals. A local group called Emergency Komodo will also continue to keep a look out, she said. Ms Rinta, a 40-year-old associate regional sales manager, failed to surface on July 13 during a diving trip off Indonesia's Komodo Island. She had been part of a group of 16 women who were diving in the area.
Ms Mukkam's colleague, who did not want to be named, said: "She liked to travel and experience life, and would always have time to listen to people and have a laugh. "She loved diving. She went diving with whale sharks last year and was on a diving trip a few months ago. "She went on this trip to take time off work and relax." In 2012, Ms Mukkam wrote on Facebook: "I saw a six-metre manta ray swim around and over me. If there is one thing I realise, we are nothing. The splendour of the seas never fails to mesmerise and humble me."
According to one woman in the group of 16 Singaporeans she was in, a boat had dropped them off at the spot and left to pick up other divers. But Ms Rinta, who is an associate regional sales manager, did not surface with the other divers, said the Singaporean woman, who declined to be named. She added that it was sunny at the time and they had been briefed by the dive master to be prepared for a drift dive - where divers are carried by the current. The divers were then split into smaller groups for the dive. It is unclear what happened to Ms Rinta's "buddy". Divers typically dive in groups of two or three as a safety precaution, in a buddy system where members look out for one another. According to West Manggarai regency police chief Supiyanto, Ms Rinta was in a group with a local diver known as Ajidan. As they dived to the 4m depth, Ms Rinta stopped and swam back to a shallower 2m depth, while her three other friends continued to dive deeper to 15m as planned.
Flores Island Komodo.
When Rinta was diving towards the 2m depth, she signalled to the (local) diver to continue and accompany her three friends to the seabed (at a depth of 15m)," Mr Supiyanto said. The group discovered that she was missing only when they had completed the dive and were boarding the boat. "The missing tourist is suspected to have been swept away by currents at the depth of 2m, at the point where she was to surface and get onto the boat," added Mr Supiyanto. According to those familiar with the area, Gili Lawa Laut, a popular diving spot, is also known for strong currents and relatively cold waters. Mr Gede Ardana, head of rescue agency Badan SAR Kupang (Basarnas), told Indonesian media that his agency received a missing persons report at 2.30pm on Thursday. His agency then sent a team of six rescuers to the location by motorboat to carry out a search. Yesterday evening, Basarnas told The Straits Times that boat operators and Komodo-based dive centres were also helping out in the search operation. The current search-and-rescue efforts are focused on the region west of Flores Island, which is located in West Manggarai in Indonesia.
Ms Rinta's brother Roy Paul Mukkam, a 36-year-old lawyer, posted on Facebook on Thursday evening asking for help and information in locating his sister. He told The Straits Times that his sister was an experienced diver and had gone on a number of diving trips previously. She had left Singapore on Wednesday and was due to return home on Monday. Mr Supiyanto noted that there had been similar incidents at the site where Ms Rinta went missing. "There is such a case nearly every year, and the majority involve foreigners," he said. According to the Divezone website, the currents at Komodo Island dive sites are very strong, and the sites are reserved for experienced divers.
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