Cave diving disaster with 4 minutes of air | The Shaft Sinkhole Diving Tragedy

8 divers entered The Shaft sinkhole in Mount Gambier, Australia for a day of diving. Two brothers, with their sister and cousin, were expert scuba divers and felt extremely confident in their ability to explore this cave with friends. In less than an hour, they would be facing the devastating reality of cave diving in narrow tunnels.

[jonalban]

I think that my fear of cave diving has actually DECREASED slightly from watching these videos because it seems like these tragedies always stem from people doing something unusual and extremely stupid. (i’m still never going to cave dive though)

[LordMarcus]

The best things about caving, diving, and cave diving, is that you don't have to do any of those things.

[billbombshiggy]

I will never know why humans continue to squeeze themselves into flooded tunnels.

[lisam]

I am a couch and bed diving expert, 50 years experience and I can say the most dangerous part of my years was one time getting my feet stuck in my blanket and let me tell you, I was so claustrophobic confined, panic set in and for the grace of all that is holy I kicked my feet and wriggled lucky to be here to tell you this

[Trewq]

"Accidents like these end very grimly. We have found marks on the wall where victims have thrashed around in their final desperation. We've found powerful last words scratched in their scuba tanks. We found evidence of struggle between buddies over the remaining air. It's a really horrifying, agonizing way to die a death where you know it's happening and all you can do is wait". -Lamar Hires, scuba expert.

[BobDiaz]

The sad part about this story is that a simple inexpensive guide line would have prevented this tragedy.

[mirandahotspring]

No plan is no options. As a scuba instructor I tell my students if they forget everything else I teach them remember these six words: Plan Your Dive, Dive Your Plan!

[JB]

Age 19 but had 15 years of experience… these parents thought they were raising a damn dolphin

[KaizerWarrex]

Nothing kills a person faster than their own Hubris. It sounds like their inflated sense of expertise led them to their death.

[Cand]

These videos teach me that diving in a swimming pool is all I need to enjoy life. I don’t get why people want to dive in a cold dark abyss and just look at rock walls and dirt. Snorkeling seems more fun than that.

[kevinmalone]

It's not difficult to understand how four experienced divers can lose their lives during a cave dive, by pushing the limits, and not taking precautions to avoid situations that ended up costing them their lives.

[sealboy]

15 years of diving at 19? I’m all about encouraging kids to explore things, but then there are parents who force their kids into things….

[noobsaibot]

Im from Australia this is the first time I heard of this tragedy.

Nowadays in Australia its not easy getting your scuba licence along with cave exploring and cave diving. They really made it strict so people cant get it like candy. Basically takes a lot of training and fitness to really become one.

[Nevyka]

Research ✔ Script ✔ Editing ✔ Actual Footage ✔ Straight to the Story ✔ Calm Voice ✔ Music ✔ Respectful ✔ I've been recommending your channel since I found your channel a couple days ago. Thank you for sharing these videos about stories we can all learn from and prevent these tragedies. You truly do a fantastic job. You're going to hit a million subs quickly. One of my new favorite youtube channels. Looking forward to your next videos!

[DrownedInExile]

They might have been open-water scuba experts, but they were complete amateurs at cave-diving. Their hubris cost them their lives.

[PumpkinPatchVintage]

The additional graphics add so much understanding to your videos. I appreciate the extra effort!

[emilypink]

I’ve seen several videos on this incident, so didn’t think I would learn anything new from yours, but I was pleasantly surprised! I really liked how you showed actual footage of the cave as well as the different diagrams/maps. I also think it’s great that you described the components required for safe cave diving, and indicated where these divers had failed to meet these, all in a respectful manner.

[maumee]

As a cave and diver myself (to study fish and invertebrates) I see so many of these videos and just shake my head. The second anything goes even remotely wrong, you abandon whatever you're doing and head back out. I don't care if you saw a fish that's a new species, you leave. You can describe a new species if you're dead, you can't announce a new diving record in a cave if you're dead, you can't ever dive again if you're dead. Be smart about it.
Slight edit: Yes, I have actual official and proper cave and ice diving training and certifications. They aren't easy, I also got my deep sea diving training too. And most importantly, have a diving buddy, usually more than 1. 1 with you, 1 a bit back, and 1 at the surface to notify help. More divers is also more help to immediately spot danger depending on the situation.

[prekk]

You have massive potential to climb up to the top. Keep doing what you’re doing, your work is amazing! Great respect, its so hard to find hidden gems like this.

[montanateri]

This is an excellent video. Clear pictures of how the cave setup was, great animation of where the divers were. This was the most understandable cave diving video I've seen. I did not get confused of who was who and who was up and who was down, you make it crystal clear with great narration. You have a excellent cadence to your voice, not monotone, not exaggerated modulation but still retaining personality and emotion as the story progresses.
A seamless meld of video and narration! Subscribed!