A scuba diver died while navigating an intricate network of caves in the Florida Panhandle that extend hundreds of feet below the surface, officials said.
A rescue mission was launched for three individuals after the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said it was notified of overdue divers at Twin Caves in Jackson Blue Springs Park, 65 miles northwest of Tallahassee, at 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday.
Deputies said that two divers made it from the cave safely in the rescue operation, which also involved Jackson County Fire and Rescue, Florida Fish and Wildlife, and the staff at Cave Adventures.
“Sadly, the operation led to the recovery of a third diver that was deceased,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a statement early Tuesday evening.
A medical examiner is working to determine the diver’s cause of death, officials said.
Edd Sorenson, an expert in dive rescues and recovery who owns Cave Adventures, was about 50 miles away in Vortex Springs when one of the divers contacted him to say that two members of their party were missing in the water.
According to Cave Adventures’ website, passages in the Twin Caves extend hundreds of feet below.
Sorenson told WKRG that one of his instructors, Mehdi Zinetti, was at the location. Sorenson said that Zinetti, who began the search for the deceased diver, had never done an active body recovery mission before Tuesday.
Sorenson said conditions at the caves were clear, with more than 100 feet of visibility on Tuesday morning when the divers began their descent. After entering the water, Zinetti was able to locate one of the missing divers and safely bring her to land.
He continued to search for the third diver in the water but got out a few minutes later.
“He thought since he had to go multiple directions, maybe he missed him, and maybe he’s out safe. So he exited and he wasn’t there yet. So he went back in again,” Sorenson said. When he couldn’t find the diver on land, Zinetti got back in the water.
Sediment was stirred up by divers during the day, making visibility nearly impossible.
Zinetti eventually found the victim and pulled them out, he added.
When Sorenson arrived back at the facility, he said the Florida Fish and Wildlife was there, and CPR efforts had been made. However, the diver was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sorenson told the local news station that he would examine the diver’s equipment, analyze the video, and conduct another inventory round to determine what went wrong before alerting deputies of any findings.
Sheriff Donnie Edenfield thanked all those involved in the rescue efforts and urged residents to “keep the families of the divers in your thoughts and prayers.”
