Scuba-diving brothers who also were best friends drown in an underground siphon in Lehi

Salt Lake Tribune ^ | 10.3.03 | Michael N. Westley

[poundsand]

This is not cave diving. It may be classified as such, but it is not. I am a diver and grew up with one of these near by. The water is running very strong, and there is all kinds of debris that ends up stuck in them. They pulled 9 vehicles out of the one near our home one year.

When ever some unfortunately and normally drunk soul was lost in it, the rescue divers would never go in. They always drained it as well, too easy to get fouled by debris or tangled up with your rescue line. Believe it or not, we had someone actually time the passage of water, and then jump in while attempting to hold their breath.

[Prodigal Son]

Believe it or not, we had someone actually time the passage of water, and then jump in while attempting to hold their breath.

They didn't make it did they?

[glock rocks]

Thanks for the ping, tubebender.

This happened just over the hill from my work. sad.

[JonathansMommie]

Just Awful.

[hopespringseternal]

A I know a lot of divers who do some really silly stuff.

That is why I said competent divers would know better.

I agree with you. Diving is something that requires a level head. Just throwing on the gear and jumping in the water without thinking will eventually kill you. Adventurism (doing wacky dives just to say you did it) will kill you a lot sooner.

[Guillermo]

"Family always came first to them,"

LIAR! If that was true, they never would have done something so stupid.

Ashton would have celebrated his one year wedding anniversary to his wife Tami today, and leaves behind a 7-month-old son, Tiegan.

What a selfish bastard!

[Guillermo]

They pulled 9 vehicles out of the one near our home one year.

Was this in Massachusetts? Was Teddy driving these cars?

[Xenalyte]

Damn, dude, that's funny!

[PJ-Comix]

They just had an interesting PBS documentary about cave diving in Florida. It was about the underground aquafirs in Florida. They filter the water naturally until they are crystal clear. And during the shooting of the documentary, one of the female cavedivers had trouble with her air supply leaking. Fortunately, she had help but there are numerous cave diving deaths in Florida.

Far better is to simply FLOAT on the beautiful crystal clear springs in North Florida. You just go with a group in innner tubes and have inner tubes with netting filled with beers to drink along the way. Then you float for miles down the streams. Much safer than cave diving.

[lawgirl]

I feel sorry for the 7 month old child. People that want to be adventurers need to think twice if they have a family to provide for. Let's hope he had life insurance.

[BabsC]

What a selfish bastard!

I agree, my husband and I do vertical caving, and he does other adventurous things but if we had children all of this activity would be curtailed until the kids were able to join us.

If someone has kids they should not take risks that would leave them without a parent.

Of course my husband is such a safety nut now I can just imagine if he had his own kids with him. We are adventurous but we do it with the right equipment and safety procedures.

Once while caving one of our friends picked on my husband the whole way to the cave about his amount of equipment and how he was so meticalous about it's condition. Needless to say my husband's equipment and procedures is what got this nut out of the cave.

[Ready4Freddy]

"This is not cave diving. It may be classified as such, but it is not."

A distinction w/o a difference, I think. The similarities far outweigh the differences (which are???? The siphon has smoother walls made of concrete?).

[hemogoblin]

[Robert A Cook PE]

Faster speed of the water.

Nothing to see except round concrete walls going by.

It'd be like spelunking blindfolded through a traffic tunnel at midnight when they're washing the walls. Sure, you could do it, but why even bother?

[TFMcGuire]

I can believe that!

Right behind working the midnight shift at a convenience store.

My yougest brother did some cave-diving. he went through spaces so narrow he had to remove his tank and squeeze through while holding it in his hand.

Just the thought almost breaks me into a cold sweat, Kat.