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I'm sure I'm violating copyright rules, but what the hell... From the Miami
Herald are two articles by Susan Cocking on the Henry Kendall accident. One
is from 26 Feb 99 and the second is the follow up written on 18 July 99.
David
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<H1>THE MIAMI HERALD </H1>
<H2>FINDING OUT THE CAUSE OF <EM><B>HENRY</B></EM>=20
<EM><B>KENDALL'S</B></EM> DEATH WHILE DIVING REMINDS US OF AN
=
IMPORTANT=20
LESSON. SAFETY FIRST, ALWAYS </H2>Sunday, July 18, 1999 =
<BR>Section:=20
Sports <BR>Edition: Final <BR>Page: 9C <BR>By SUSAN COCKING, =
Herald Sports=20
Writer <BR><B>Memo:</B> OUTDOORS / See SAFETY TIPS box at tbe of
=
text.=20
<BR><BR><B>Illustration:</B>
<BR><BR><B>Caption:</B> <BR>
<P>The final autopsy report on Nobel Prize-winning physicist=20
<EM><B>Henry</B></EM> <EM><B>Kendall</B></EM>
should carry a =
lifesaving=20
message to all scuba divers - beginner, sport, tech, or =
professional: you=20
are never above obeying the basic rules of safe diving.
<P></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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<TD>While diving with a rebreather at Wakulla Springs, Fla., in =
February,=20
Kendall, 72, died from lack of oxygen to the brain because he =
failed to=20
turn a knob to connect to an oxygen supply, according to the =
report issued=20
in May by Tallahassee associate medical examiner Dr. Benjamin =
Turner.
<P>The Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor's death was =
ruled=20
an accident, with probable contributing natural causes.
<P>Initially, the Wakulla County Sheriff's Department announced =
Kendall=20
had died of natural causes - a hemorrhage in the stomach area. =
That cause=20
was changed to a probable contributing factor after Turner =
consulted with=20
Dr. James Caruso, diving medical officer with the U.S. Naval =
Hospital in=20
Pensacola. Neither pathologist could be sure if the gastric =
bleeding=20
started before Kendall died or afterward, perhaps during efforts =
to=20
resuscitate him.
<P>The preliminary finding (that Kendall died of natural causes) =
ignited a=20
firestorm between rival cave diving groups in February.
<P>Fort Lauderdale's George Irvine, leader of the Woodville Karst =
Plain=20
Project, accused Wakulla2 - the cave explorers with whom Kendall =
was=20
diving - of using unsafe gear and practicing shoddy safety =
precautions.=20
Irvine hotly and publicly disputed the medical examiner's =
findings.
<P>So, why is it important now - five months later - to draw the=20
distinction between accidental death and death by natural causes?
<P>It allows all of us who breathe underwater to learn about and,=20
therefore, prevent future diving deaths, whether using rebreathers =
or=20
standard scuba gear.
<P>Kendall, who shared the 1990 Nobel prize with two other =
physicists, was=20
a founder of the Union of Concerned Scientists, devoting years to =
keeping=20
scientific and technological advances safe for humans. Yet in his =
death,=20
he inexplicably bypassed precautions for using the cutting-edge=20
technology.
<P>According to fellow Wakulla2 divers, Kendall ignored the =
pre-dive=20
safety checks of his equipment, paid no attention to audio and =
visual=20
alarms honking and flashing on his rebreather (which his diving =
companions=20
pointed out to him) and got into the spring alone.
<P>Divers said Kendall wasn't himself that day; they speculate he =
may not=20
have been feeling well before he donned his Cis-Lunar MK-5 and got =
into=20
the water.
<P>But Kendall, a lifelong diver who has used rebreathers for =
decades,=20
said nothing to his companions.
<P>The MK-5, invented by Wakulla2 project leader Bill Stone, =
recirculates=20
breathing gasses using electronic sensors to add oxygen and remove =
carbon=20
dioxide. The MK-5 was the gear of choice for the cave explorers =
because it=20
enabled them to dive as deep as 375 feet and stay down for hours. =
It=20
emitted no bubbles, a handy feature to avoid dislodging murky silt =
from=20
cave walls. Kendall, who took underwater photographs of the =
expedition,=20
was aided by the lack of bubbles.
<P>The MK-5 has multiple backup safety systems to alert a diver to =
gas=20
supply or mixture problems and allow him to bail out. Kendall had =
been=20
trained extensively in one-on-one sessions with Richard Nordstrom, =
president of the company that manufactures the unit.
<P>In the water less than 10 minutes, Kendall was found floating=20
unconscious in 4 feet of water by a dive team member. Several =
Wakulla2=20
members who are physicians performed CPR while awaiting an =
ambulance.=20
Kendall was pronounced dead later that day at Tallahassee Memorial =
Hospital.
<P>On the day of the accident, the Wakulla2 team issued a news =
release=20
stating Kendall did not follow established safety protocols and =
blacked=20
out because of the improperly positioned oxygen valve. When the =
sheriff's=20
office later released the preliminary gastric bleeding statement, =
the=20
Wakulla2 team corrected itself in a second news release: ``This =
new=20
information leaves no doubt that [Kendall] died from natural =
causes, and=20
that his unfortunate and untimely death bore no relationship to =
either the=20
pre-dive procedures that he followed that day or the dive =
equipment he=20
used.''
<P>Fortunately, Turner turned the case over to dive medicine =
expert Caruso=20
for a second opinion.
<P>Caruso told Turner in a letter:
<P>``People who dive these specialized rigs tend to be extremely =
anal in=20
the maintenance and pre/post-dive care of the apparatus. The =
pre-dive=20
checklist is extensive, and following it meticulously is not only =
crucial=20
but time-consuming. Despite having documented training and =
experience with=20
the apparatus, Dr. Kendall had established a pattern of cutting =
corners in=20
the preparation of his gear. . . . Apparently, in his haste to =
shoot a few=20
more pictures prior to departing the dive site, Dr. Kendall =
disregarded=20
the safety procedures that are put in place to prevent mishaps =
such as=20
this one.''
<P>Bottom line: Whether you are a rocket scientist or a sport =
diver, the=20
rules of safe diving are the same. That's why it is vital to know =
the=20
facts behind each accident and fatality, not to be satisfied with =
facile=20
explanations.
<P>Kendall, who devoted his life to seeking scientific truths, =
surely=20
would have wanted it that way.<BR>SAFETY TIP<BR>DIVING =
GUIDELINES<BR>
<P>Whether you are using a rebreather, double-tank cave gear, =
mixed gases=20
or standard recreational scuba gear, the rules are the same:<BR>* =
Never=20
dive alone.<BR>* Thoroughly examine and test your equipment before =
getting=20
into the water, then have your buddy check your gear in case you =
missed=20
something.<BR>* Do not ignore obvious warning signs of problems, =
such as a=20
leaky valve or regulator, a buoyancy compensator that =
spontaneously=20
inflates or won't inflate, insufficient tank pressure, etc.<BR>* =
Do not=20
dive until you and your buddy are sure you have fixed the =
problem.<BR>*=20
Plan your dive and dive your plan.<BR>
<P>e-mail: scocking@he*.co*=20
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<FONT size=3D-1>All content =A9 1999 THE MIAMI HERALD and may not =
be=20
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<P>
<H1>THE MIAMI HERALD </H1>
<H2>CAVE DIVER'S DEATH SPARKS HEATED DEBATE </H2>Friday, February =
26, 1999=20
<BR>Section: Sports <BR>Edition: Final <BR>Page: 13D <BR>By
SUSAN =
COCKING,=20
Herald Outdoors Writer <BR><B>Memo:</B> OUTDOORS=20
<BR><BR><B>Illustration:</B> photo: Henry Kendall (a)=20
<BR><BR><B>Caption:</B> <BR>
<P>The death of a Nobel Prize-winning physicist during a =
high-profile=20
cave-mapping expedition at Wakulla Springs has caused a verbal =
firestorm=20
between two rival groups of cave divers. And the angry public =
debate=20
raises safety issues that could jeopardize future underwater =
exploration.
<P>Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Henry Kendall, =
72, died=20
Feb. 15 in the spring's shallows while wearing a rebreather - a =
type of=20
scuba gear that recycles a diver's air supply by scrubbing out the =
carbon=20
dioxide.
<P></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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<TD>At first, members of the U.S. Deep Caving Team, for which =
Kendall had=20
been taking underwater photographs, believed the death was a =
diving=20
accident. The professor had gone into the water without his diving =
partner, apparently ignoring warning systems on his rebreather =
telling him=20
the device was not hooked up to an oxygen supply. Team members =
initially=20
believed Kendall passed out from lack of oxygen and died. =
Officials at=20
Wakulla Springs State Park suspended diving for five days while=20
authorities investigated.
<P>Coroner Ben Turner's preliminary report to the Wakulla County =
Sheriff's=20
office said natural causes, not a dive mishap, killed Kendall -=20
specifically, a hemorrhage in the stomach area. A final report is =
expected=20
in four to six weeks. But Captain Bill Poole, the lead sheriff's=20
department investigator, said he doesn't expect any new =
revelations.
<P>``We are speculating at this time that [Kendall] experienced =
some=20
medical condition. We feel like he was not alert to equipment =
problems,''=20
Poole said.
<P>But instead of putting the matter to rest, the coroner's =
findings have=20
generated scorn, second-guessing, and allegations of lax safety =
procedures=20
against the U.S. Deep Caving Team and Wakulla 2 project leader =
Bill Stone=20
from rival cave explorers.
<P>``Stone is running a dangerous free-for-all,'' said George =
Irvine, a=20
Fort Lauderdale investment broker who leads the Woodville Karst =
Plain=20
Project. ``The risk he's taking on the dives is outrageous.''
<P>Irvine is not unbiased; he freely admits resentment that his =
team's=20
Wakulla exploration was interrupted by Stone's taking over the =
site for=20
three months beginning last December. Irvine also is not happy =
that=20
Stone's $1.2 million mission to create a digital, =
three-dimensional map of=20
Florida's largest spring is to be featured in a National =
Geographic=20
Society video and in the company's new magazine.
<P>``[Stone] comes in and takes credit for what we've done,'' =
Irvine said,=20
adding he and his colleagues already have mapped miles of the =
cave.
<P>Irvine doesn't believe a gastric hemorrhage killed Kendall. He =
suggests=20
the internal bleeding could have occurred during efforts to revive =
the=20
scientist. Irvine blames the Cis-Lunar Mark V rebreather, invented =
by=20
Stone and sold for $17,000 by a Massachusetts manufacturer, for =
Kendall's=20
death - despite the coroner's findings to the contrary.
<P>``It's extraordinarily complex to operate. It's a dangerous =
piece of=20
equipment. It depends too much on electronics,'' Irvine said. His =
team=20
uses a rebreather manufactured by Brownie's Third Lung in Fort =
Lauderdale=20
- a manual version in which gases are mixed before a dive.
<P>Stone, devastated by Kendall's death, is outraged at Irvine's =
charges.
<P>``George Irvine would be dancing on Henry Kendall's grave,'' =
Stone=20
said. ``He wants nothing more than to destroy anyone else involved =
in this=20
project. He's unstable, a bad egg.''
<P>Stone, an engineer with the National Institute of Standards and =
Technology in suburban Washington, D.C., said the Cis-Lunar has =
several=20
backup safety systems - electronic and manual - in case of a =
failure. He=20
noted Kendall was a pioneer in diving with rebreathers who had =
been=20
extensively trained on the Mark V before diving at Wakulla.
<P>A former member of the U.S. Deep Caving Team, Mike Bruic, said =
he had=20
no problems with the rebreather itself. But he criticized what he =
called=20
Stone's ``lax'' training and safety measures.
<P>``There were divers on the team who were out of their league,'' =
Bruic=20
said. ``I evaluated the team and I thought they were horrific. =
Stone=20
overrode it and let people dive. He didn't punish divers for =
diving alone=20
or for violating safety procedures.''
<P>Bruic noted that two divers were injured in the weeks before =
Kendall's=20
death, both from using the wrong gas mixtures.
<P>``This is a risk-inherent sport, but when you don't cover all =
the=20
bases, sooner or later something is going to happen,'' Bruic said.
<P>Stone bristled at Bruic's comments, insisting he imposed =
extensive,=20
even militaristic safety protocols, including a decompression =
chamber on a=20
barge above the spring. But Stone said in an all-volunteer effort =
in=20
cutting-edge technology, it is impossible to completely monitor =
the=20
actions of others.
<P>``People you have interviewed will die because nobody is =
perfect in=20
this game,'' Stone said. ``No one is immune. You have to do the =
best you=20
can, be vigilant. All this can't protect you from yourself. An =
individual=20
has to be responsible for his actions.''
<P>A few years back, before the USDCT-WKPP rivalry was in full =
blaze,=20
Stone and Irvine discussed combining efforts and resources to =
explore=20
north Florida's cave systems. Negotiations quickly broke down; =
neither man=20
could tolerate the other's management style. Now members of the =
two camps=20
snipe at each other on the Internet=20
(www.aquanaut.com/bin/mlist/aquanaut/cavers/new/).
<P>Today, Stone's group is packing up to leave Wakulla Springs, =
satisfied=20
at accomplishing its objective of putting an interactive cave map =
on the=20
Internet. Team members had hoped to map nearby Sally Ward Spring, =
which=20
would have helped determine whether a nearby landowner's plans to =
build a=20
filling station would pollute the spring. But Kendall's death =
postponed=20
that project indefinitely.
<P>The tragedy might postpone or hamper other projects as well. =
Private=20
landowners and heads of public agencies might think twice before =
allowing=20
explorers to plumb the depths of their lands because of liability =
issues.
<P>Irvine can hardly wait for Stone to leave so his group can =
resume=20
explorations. Last summer, Irvine and two colleagues, Brent =
Scarabin and=20
Jarrod Jablonski, claimed a world-record underwater cave dive of =
18,000=20
feet inside Wakulla Spring. They're eager to keep pushing deeper =
inside=20
the labyrinth.
<P>``I'm just interested in [Stone] getting out of there,'' Irvine =
said.=20
``He's in the way of what we're doing. We've been working there 10 =
years=20
and he jeopardized all that hard work.''
<P>Replied Stone: ``This is a scientific project, not a=20
go-to-the-end-of-the-line project. What attracted me to come here =
was to=20
build a new piece of technology that never existed, and that was =
the 3-D=20
mapper. Cave diving for the sake of thrills is lunacy. [Irvine] =
has made=20
this an ugly, ugly sport.''=20
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<HR>
<FONT size=3D-1>All content =A9 1999 THE MIAMI HERALD and may not =
be=20
republished without permission.<BR></FONT></CENTER>
<P>
<HR>
<I><FONT size=3D-1>All archives are stored on a SAVE (tm) =
newspaper library=20
system from MediaStream Inc., a Knight-Ridder Inc. =
company.</FONT></I>=20
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