Teen swimmers find two cave divers dead in Florida lake

Two cave divers have been discovered lifeless in a Florida lake final week after three youngsters tried to avoid wasting them, authorities stated.

The Hernando County Sheriff’s Workplace stated one of many youngsters alerted police round 12:20 p.m. Wednesday to the attainable drowning within the Buford Springs Cave, which is situated within the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Park in Weeki Wachee.

The caller stated he was certainly one of three teenagers, ages 15, 15 and 17, who witnessed a pair of divers arrive on the park round 11 a.m.

Based on the teenager, the lads dove for a short while earlier than resurfacing. The lads then launched right into a dialogue about going again down into the “cave,” and whether or not they had sufficient air of their tanks to finish their dive.

The divers were exploring an underwater caver in the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Park in Weeki Wachee, Florida, when they ran into some trouble
The divers have been exploring an underwater cave within the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Park in Weeki Wachee, Florida, after they bumped into hassle.
Hernando County Sheriff's Workplace
A teen called 911 and summoned deputies after he and two other boys found one of the divers floating face down on the surface of the lake
A teen known as 911 and summoned deputies after he and two different boys discovered one of many divers floating face down on the floor of the lake.
Hernando County Sheriff's Workplace

“One of many divers is believed to have talked about that he probably had a leak in his tank,” authorities stated. “After a short while, each adults dove again down underneath the water.”

Not lengthy after, the teenage swimmers noticed one of many divers come to the floor and noticed him floating face down, which they thought he was doing on objective to search for his companion underwater.

However then the boys seen that there have been no bubbles coming to the floor to point respiration.

“The juveniles swam over to examine on him and acquired no response,” the workplace recounted. “The three juveniles have been in a position to get the diver over to the dock, however have been unable to elevate him out of the water.”

The kids summoned assist, and deputies who responded to the lake have been in a position to elevate the diver onto a rock, however he was already lifeless by then.

Todd McKenna, 52 (pictured above) has been identified as one of the deceased divers
Todd McKenna, 52, has been recognized as one of many deceased divers.
Fb/Todd Richard Mckenna

When the second diver did not resurface, a number of members of the Worldwide Underwater Cave Rescue and Restoration (IUCRR) responded and located him 137 ft beneath the floor. He, too, was deceased.

“Neither of the divers had any apparent indicators of trauma and each appeared to have the suitable diving gear,” the press launch from the sheriff’s workplace said. “It's unknown at the moment if all of the gear was working correctly.”

The company later recognized the divers as 52-year-old Todd McKenna and 63-year-old Stephen Gambrell.

Buford Springs is a community of underground caverns with a 167-foot descent, in line with a information on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee web site. It accommodates twisting passages inside the caverns; divers should register and procure authorization from park officers earlier than happening right into a doubtlessly harmful state of affairs.

“Even skilled cave divers have perished right here. Underwater caves, lovely as they're, don't forgive errors,” the information warns.

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