Missing Cave Diver!

999/112

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0906/galway.html
Fingers crossed that he is in an airbell/dry passage.

lynchtp

"Oxygen bottles were located at the end of the cave."
on land or under sea.

Fingers crossed indeed.

MrThrifty

Asking a silly question, why would the oxygen bottles be abandoned? To go exploring above water or if something went wrong?

locum-motion

MrThrifty wrote: »

Asking a silly question, why would the oxygen bottles be abandoned? To go exploring above water or if something went wrong?

Not a silly question.
First of all, it's highly unlikely that it's Oxygen in the bottles, but that's down to lazy journalism.
Most likely, the bottles contain Trimix or Nitrox and were left by the diver either on his way in or on a previous, shallower dive so that they would be available for him to use for decompression (to prevent 'the bends') on his way out.

From what I heard from the ICRO spokesman on the TodayfM news, the entire previously explored extent of the cave is flooded, and extended to 53m depth.
So even if the missing diver was able to surface inside the cave, he would have had to surface from 53m, probably without his deco gas with him (cos he left it on the way in).

I think this means that we can't hold out too much hope, much as I hate to say it.

MrThrifty

Scary stuff! Especially when it involves an experienced cave diver. Got the impression from the news that they were well known to the local coastal rescue and diving folk, and therefore genuinely experienced. Anyway, don't want to lead this discussion to what might have been done wrong etc. so will bail out at this point..

Keedowah

Sadly the body of the driver has been found. I went to see Artur give a lecture in TCD last year (or maybe the year before), came across as a real nice guy.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0906/galway.html

RIP

locum-motion

From when I first heard the news today, I was hoping it wasn't Artur Kozłowski.

I too was at his lecture in Trinity; it was great.

On the one and only occasion that a caver friend took me caving, we met Artur and a couple of others at the entrance on the way in. We helped him to carry tanks and gear through the cave system til eventually we came to a sump Artur wanted to explore.

He was a lovely guy, passionate about cave diving, and he really pushed the boundaries of known cave system in Ireland.

RIP.

dusac

Very sad news. We had hoped to welcome Artur back to Trinity in just a few weeks, where many of the friends he made through diving were hoping to see him again.

He was a remarkable man with a great spirit, and will be much missed.

999/112

RIP Artur. This is the site[?] where the accident happened, http://wiki.technicaldiving.ie/index.php/Pollonora_Hole_no_10

Reports of the depth record dive in Mayo, http://wiki.technicaldiving.ie/index.php/Pollatoomary,_Resurgence_of_Aille_River

Article from Irish Times, just one year ago, http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0910/1224278569802.html

Some great achievements by Artur & friends... with so much more to do I would imagine!

tedshredsonfire

So sorry to hear this news. Enjoyed reading his exploits as he was good with the written word as well. RIP

cavedave

Riders on the Storm - trailer

MayoForSam

Very sad news, I feel for his poor family, his passion for this dangerous activity eventually got the better of him. I have gone caving a few times and its not for the faint-hearted in the pitch dark with the walls closing in on all sides, I don't know how anyone can have the courage to dive into a flooded cave.

This blog post of his describes another incident recently when he almost ran out of luck, eerily prescient after what happened this week: http://arturconrad.blogspot.com/2011/06/pollatoomary-incident-part-i_13.html

keithb93

Got an email about it, RIP.