Dual Cave Diving Fatality in Mexico

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A Rebuttal to the Steve Bogeart’s Article Titled: An Examination of the Double Fatality at Cenote Calimba, Sistema Sac\Actun 9th December 2004.
By Steve Gerrard – IUCRR Central America Coordinator
Tuesday, February 8, 2005

During Friday evening, February 4th I was informed that this article was posted on the Internet Technical Diving Chat Room – The Deco Stop. Several people had emailed me asking why were their discrepancies? I was surprised that this article surfaced as I had invited Steve Bogearts to collaborate with me on the Accident Report I posted for the IUCRR. I serve as the Central America Coordinator and was asked to file a report by that organization. In my email to Steve Bogearts several weeks earlier, I suggested it would be wise to write the report together so there would be no conflicting information. I received no reply.

While reading and studying Steve’s quite lengthy article, I was astonished and very disheartened in how opinionated Steve was and the numerous inaccuracies he wrote. It was very obvious he took many of the facts filed by my ICURR report, however the additional misinformation was very shocking. I was surprised by Steve’s boldness. I have known him for several years since he moved to Puerto Aventuras, Mexico from England. I have observed his progress from a certified cave diver in 1999 to a recently certified cave diving Instructor with the NACD, NSS-CDS and IANTD. In addition, he has grown into quite a prolific cave explorer involving several exploration projects and exploring many cave systems in a short period of time.

My philosophy is writing an accident report is NOT to offer any opinions, just state the facts. I felt I accomplished that goal with my ICURR report as I received numerous emails from cave divers and Cave diving Instructors complimenting me. It was a difficult report to write because there was no input by the two surviving divers and I wanted to be extra careful with the sequence of events and facts.

Though I work a full-time job in the deepwater offshore oil drilling business in the Gulf of Mexico, I still actively teach cave diving courses and guide for cave diving customers. In addition, I am a fully pledged immigrado resident of Mexico with full rights and privileges of a Mexican citizen except for voting. It is the IUCRR policy when writing reports to not write opinions and do not criticize others. Since Steve sells cave & technical diving instruction and guiding services for his Aztec diving business in the Riviera Maya, it was very unprofessional and misguided for Steve to write unsubstantiated and incorrect information about the diving accident and to highly criticize other cave diving members of the Riviera Maya.

My review of Steve Bogearts Report.

My information for the IUCRR report on the accident was complied from direct information from the divers of Team #1. As I said before, I had no input from the surviving couple of Team #2. I sent them a copy of my report with no reply before I posted it. Since the report was published, I have had two emails with them. One of those emails was me encouraging them to contact the widow’s and families. In addition, I have had numerous email exchanges with one of the victim’s widow, ex-wife, several employees and friends. Needless to say, I have been very busy trying to answer questions.

During the past few days I have verified from members of Team #1 that Steve Bogeart’s has not had any contact with anyone involved with the accident except for one visit to Villas DeRosa/Aquatech one week after the accident. Members of Team #1 had already returned to the United States. The surviving couple from Team #2 was staying a planned second week and declined to be interviewed and no questions were asked to the group leader. No one directly involved with the accident has talked to Steve Bogearts or exchanged any email. On Sunday night, February 6th I called Steve Bogeart’s by satellite telephone from the Deepwater Horizon to his home in Puerto Aventuras. This phone call was logged by Transocean Deepwater Offshore Drilling Company. He confirmed to me that he had no direct contact with members of Team #1 or the two survivors. His report was compiled from information provided from second and third-parties, assumptions and opinions that were not substantiated.

Incorrect Information.

The following list is some of the inaccuracies written by Steve Bogeart’s.

1. At no time during the dive had the two teams encountered one another? The two teams were swimming one behind the other on their way to the Bosh Chen line and beyond.
   
2. I did not write anything about the guide driving to the Grand Cenote though I was aware of it. It had no significance to the accident.
   
3. I wrote nothing about how the victims were recovered because there was no significance to the accident. The victims were buoyant when found by three members of Team #1. This is because when double aluminum tanks are completely empty they are very buoyant as if corks. The long hose was not tangled. The first 300 – 400 feet of the Calimba passage is not restrictive as I have dived this passage at least fifty times.
   
4. All three members of Team #1 adamantly state their was no break in the guideline. I dived the Calimba passage on Saturday, January 16th and I saw no break in the guideline. Where did this information come from?
   
5. The Tulum Ministerio Publico interviewed no one at the dive site. The guide nor any other member of the group was not interviewed. No one on Team #1 or the two survivors speak Spanish! However, after the accident the guide with an interpreter took the husband of the surviving couple into Tulum and at the Ministerio Publico and he gave a statement.
   
6. The dive was called on Thirds? Is this an assumption or a fact?
   
7. When Team #2 reached the end of the Paso De Lagarto line, I was told that one of the victims deployed his safety spool. While searching for the Grand Cenote line the other victim was the first to turnaround and begin swimming back towards Cenote Calimba. (I assumed it was fear but I cannot ask him since he is dead). The surviving couple quickly followed. (I assume that the victim with the spool had no choice but to follow and catch up with his buddy but I cannot ask him because he is dead).
   
8. The Paso De Lagarto line is more than 450 feet from Cenote Hotul.
   
9. No one has stated that the team separated into pairs until they were forced into sharing air emergency conditions.
   
10. The best breathers of the group was one of the victim’s and one of the survivors. Team #1 had less experience than Team #2. The guide was with the least experienced team. The two survivors had the most experience within the group.
    
11. This group was broken down into smaller teams and the dive plan was thoroughly discussed and a map was used as a planning tool. The dive plan was agreed upon by all members of both teams.
    
12. Steve Bogearts states the more experienced divers with the better air consumption were all diving the guide who installed the reels and personal markers for both teams. As stated in Line #10, the worst breathers were with the guide.
    
13. When Steve Bogeart’s judges the survivor’s experience he states 32 years since certification with an average of 10 cave dives a year. Where does this come from? The surviving couple has been cave diving in the Riviera Maya for several years. For the previous three years, they have made annual two week trips diving twice a day for twelve days or 72 cave dives. Prior to that they had participated with another group leader’s cave diving trips from Pennsylvania.
    
14. Steve Bogearts states the one member of the team deploys a safety spool to search for a line or exit indicated by the arrow pointing towards the permanent guideline to Cenote Hotul/Grand Cenote. The safety spool reportedly did not have enough line on it to reach from the end of the line of the Paso de Lagarto to the next line. The fact is this reel in question is a Halcyon Defender 150 safety spool. In our phone conversation I asked Steve about this reel. He stated that most spools or reels sold are usually only half full. This is incorrect as the victim’s safety spool was completely full with 150 feet of line. There was no inadequate equipment.
    
15. Steve Bogearts assumes if this search had been successful that all members of the team would have survived. How can anyone know what the victims were thinking? The survivors reported to the members of the 1st team that they observed the one victim deploy his safety spool. Shortly after the other victim turns to swim back with the others following.
    
16. Steve Bogearts states that this dive was complex. This dive was a standard in & out dive involving two/three jumps depending on which team. For safely trained, certified cave divers, this should be cave diving 101. This dive did not exceed anyone’s ability or experience level. Every member of each team has participated in much more complex cave dives many times in previous dives.
    
17. The purpose of this cave dive was to take photos of one of the victims at the request of friends.

In conclusion:

I think it is highly unethical for a NSS-CDS Safety officer or anyone writing an accident report to offer misleading or incorrect information and make assumptions without verification or confirmation…as facts. I strongly believe that anyone writing a report must interview directly to all who were involved with an accident. Steve Bogearts article contains numerous inaccuracies and assumptions stated as facts. It is largely based on second and third-hand reports, postings on the internet and not on interviews with those directly involved.

I strongly believe that anyone who sells instruction or guiding for an income business has no right to judge and criticize others in the same business in a public forum. I have lived in the Riviera Maya since 1992 moving from my home in Tallahassee, Florida. I know most of the cave Instructors and/or cave diving guides. Several are former students of mine. Most of these individuals teach and guide as their main source of income and survival. There is a lot of animosity and competition amongst this select group of cave divers.

Most important, where is the consideration and compassion for the loved ones and close friends of the two victims? I know for a fact that that Steve Bogeart’s examination was read by many people who very close to one of the victims. This report, sadly, all it did was create more confusion, anguish and heartache to a very dreadful tragedy. Four people made a terrible mistake that will be never understood why they swam the wrong direction for such a long distance and time and not recognize what happened. Two people were as lucky as one can be and two intelligent people paid the ultimate price.

I also strongly believe this article was a personal attack against the guide who was the vacation trip/guide leader. Steve Bogearts portrayed the guide as inexperienced and careless.

This group leader’s first visit to the Akumal area of Mexico’s Caribbean coast was in 1991 with a group of cave divers organized by Paul Heinerth. She returned on multiple group trips during 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995. It was 1996 when she was asked to become a group leader for Villas DeRosa/Aquatech. It was easily recognized about her leadership ability, friendliness and her exquisite attention to detail in organizing and managing vacation trips for groups of cave divers. It did not take long for her vacation group trips to fill and become very popular. Since 1996, she has averaged nine group trips each year with usually eight cave divers in each group. There have been times she has had less and several times much more in a group. Each year she is averaging about 70+ cave divers participating in her trips. It is very common that she hires another guide to help her with her popular group trips. Cave diving Instructors who have assisted Connie with her group trips are: Pablo Diaz, Sergio Grunucci, Daniel Riordan, and Open Water Instructor/cave diver Gonzalo Vaccaluzzo and myself.

Many cave diving/overhead Instructors have participated on her group vacation trips. They are Harry Averill, Russ Poole, Van Fleming, Tom Hill, Matt Harlan, Eric Osking, Ron Charmichael, Ross Noble and Victor Williams.

Since 1991, she has logged over 2,000+ cave dives and has over 500+ cave divers participate in her group vacation trips, with close to half being repeaters, some many times.

Her philosophy of a group leader/guide is she is the customer’s guide for their week long cave diving vacation in the Riviera Maya. She arranges their airport transfers, lodging, meals, transportation with a Mexican federal licensed driver to and from the dive sites, cook their breakfast, rent tanks and a long list of minor details such as access to phones, emails, pharmaceutical needs, tourist sight seeing trips, open water diving, etc. She is with her clients from the moment they arrive in Aventuras Akumal until they leave. She considers herself their vacation guide. Her customers love the attention to all details and the enjoying atmosphere she creates for their cave diving vacation trip.

All divers in her groups are full cave certified. There is no training of any type involved. They are fully qualified and do not require any baby sitting. Cave divers like her trips because “group rate style package” makes it very affordable and convenient. The facilities are excellent, the food is superb and she makes sure the service is performed with satisfaction. She does dive with the groups but there is no requirement that full cave certified divers need a diving guide at the cave sites they visit.

Her group trips are very popular. In fact, the week of January 28th – February 5 2005 she had a group of eight cave divers and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their cave diving vacation. She has eight more trips already booked for 2005.

If anyone has any questions and wishes to contact me, please do so. My email address is: stevegerrard@cavediver.com

A request please:

1. The DECO STOP Technical Diving Internet site should immediately remove this article from their website.
   
2. I have been informed that the NSS-CDS and NACD have received this article for publishing in their newsletters or journals. Do not print it.
   
3. The NSS-CDS should carefully review this situation and determine if any ethical standards or policies have been violated.
   
4. Steve Bogearts should offer a public apology to the guide in question and to the entire cave diving community.

Steve Gerrard - IUCRR Central America Coordinator

An ongoing discussion of this accident, as well as this article, can be found by following this link. This article is a rebuttal to an article previously written by Steve Bogaerts. TheDecoStop urges members to read the purpose of the Diving Accidents forum before reading or participating in the forum on TDS