Scuba Mama

3 divers dead at ‘Spiegel'

By Kevin Wadlow Senior Staff Writer kwadlow@keynoter.com
Posted-Friday, March 16, 2007 7:26 PM EDT Email this story
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Two bodies still at wreck site, one recovered

The deaths of three New Jersey divers killed Friday after swimming deep into the bowels of the Spiegel Grove shipwreck may be the single deadliest scuba incident in Keys history.

Efforts to recover the bodies of two victims were expected to continue today at the dive site, about 6 miles off Key Largo.

One man was alive when brought to the surface by rescuers Friday morning, but was in distress, according to a Monroe County Sheriff's Office account. He was dead by the time he was raced to paramedics on shore at Port Largo.
A dive team from Key Largo Fire Rescue located the other two bodies inside the massive ship around 2 p.m. - nearly four hours after the first emergency call went out.

“According to detectives, the bodies are so deep inside, it will be extremely difficult to recover them,” Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Becky Herrin said.

Boaters and divers are being asked to voluntarily stay away from the Spiegel Grove today, until recovery operations are complete.

“It is a voluntary request, but the Coast Guard and the [Florida Keys] National Marine Sanctuary are asking people to respect the rescue efforts,” sanctuary spokeswoman Cheva Heck said.

Details of the incident were developing at press time Friday.

One diver, also from New Jersey, survived. He reportedly was stationed outside the entrance the other three divers made into the wreck interior.
He surfaced when he ran out of air, and two divers from a nearby boat descended. They returned with one of the victims, who died en route to shore.

The four divers, described as friends traveling together, reportedly had penetrated the shipwreck Thursday while diving with the Scuba-Do commercial dive boat, captained by Mark Cianciulli.

The Spiegel Grove, a 510-foot former Navy transport vessel, was scuttled as an artificial reef in 2002, then the largest ship ever intentionally sunk as a dive attraction.

Many areas were safety-prepared to allow exploration by advance divers, but some divers enjoyed going into other areas intended to remain sealed.

“Any divers go beyond the area that was prepared, divers are pushing the limits,” Heck said, “even if they have training.”

At least two other people have died after diving the Spiegel Grove, a woman in 2003 and a man in 2005. Neither was trapped on the ship.

In 1994, a woman died after being trapped inside the Bibb shipwreck, not far from the Spiegel Grove.

Records do not show any dive incident in the Keys involving more than two victims.

The three deaths this week brings to five the number of dive deaths in the Keys in 2007.

My personal Comments.
Wreck diving even for the experienced can be very dangerous.
"My heart goes out to the families and the survivor, with the loss of his friends."
Scuba Mama

glynneco

Well it appears all four divers penetrated to the pump room. They had made the same dive the day before. The depth was a littile over 130 ft. The room silted up and they become lost. The one diver who survived found his way out. He tried to get his buddy to go with him but his buddy chose to swim in another direction, after the other two divers. They had left strobes at the entrance to each room but NO WRECK LINE! In the zero vis the strobes were invisible. All were highly trained and experienced and I believe two were instuctors. They dove with singles but has left stage tanks near where they penetrated. Overconfidence? I can't imagine penetrating without a wreck line. Heck I've needed a reel on the outside to find my way back to the anchor line in zero vis. Why risk a penetration without one. Just when you think you're OK something come up and bites you. I feel terrible for those guys and their families.

Here's the link to the story http://www.miamiherald.com/505/story/45782.html

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Is that the bottom of the quarry or is the vis just really bad today?