As stated in the previous post on Spout Cave, which was the official press release pertaining to the incident. I felt it necessary to add my personal experience during the event on February 4th, 1991.

 

 All was normal as my dive buddy and I prepared for the dive, lights, exposer suits, line reel etc. the water temperate was 45 deg. We had been diving and mapping Spout Cave for about a year but could only stay in the cave for not much more than an hour or less. We began from the sump entrance inside the cave and secured our safety lines. One last equipment checks before we and made our way to the previously found passageway that was discovered on the earlier dives. Once inside the passage the cavern opened up to a moderate sized cavern. This part we had not mapped yet.

That's when things changed rather quickly. I noticed My dive partner's tank valve had become entangled with the safety line reel. Signaling (by hand communication). I began to untangle the line from the tank valve and regulator. Then noticing a large amount of silt coming from the top of the cavern there wouldn't be much time until the entire cavern would silt out. After freeing the entangled safety line. I gave the "ABORT" Dive signal. he responded immediately and began follow the line out. I stayed to hold the safety line steady to aid in his exiting, as the silt encompassed me. Quickly checking my air pressure, it was reading 1,500 PSI. About 40 minutes of air at the depth last recorded.

Once I thought my dive partner should have cleared, with zero visibility now and water temp @ 45 deg. I began reeling in the safety line for my exit. After just a few feet the line seem to disappear or just stop in the rock wall. Somehow becoming stuck in a small crevasse in the wall. I felt around a bit and could not find any openings. Now my heart was now pounding, adrenalin was making my heartbeat like never before. I began to feel helpless questioning why did we take on such a task? No time to let myself succumb to these negative thoughts.

With the visibility gone and limited time left in air supply and no direct knowledge of where the exit was, I had to act and fast.

After thinking of my options, I thought how horrible it would be to drown. I didn't want to drown, so I decided to inflate my Buoyancy Compensator and propel myself to the top of the cavern and fill up any cavity pocket I could find and fill the pocket with my remaining air from my tank. creating a breathable space. For a while. Until peacefully passing out from carbon dioxide. 

On the way up to find this suitable pocket in the cavern I prayed to myself. " God if you will get me out of this I promise never to return".

At that very moment I suddenly felt an overwhelming warmth surrounding my body. The chill of the cold 45 deg. water was gone. Expelling the air from my Buoyancy Compensator to begin a descent 35 ft. lining up to the only exit open enough to transvers though the tight passage which led back to the open sump. During this phase I felt like a passenger in my own body, I had full knowledge of where the exit was, could see without sight and began my way out of the cavern. 

Once I made my way back near the open sump in the cave the chill of the cold 45 deg water returned. The warmth had left me back to my reality. 

Continuing my exit back to the sump my dive partner was glad to see that I made it out. 

I truly believe without the intervention of God and the Holy Trinity, that I experienced things would have turned out differently.

I'm glad and grateful to God that it didn't. 

After a few years away from diving, was ready to get wet into diving. Without the overhead environment dives.