Exploration of underwater New Mexico cave turns deadly
Exploration of underwater New Mexico cave turns deadly, An accomplished California diver who was allowance with the analysis of the attenuated underwater passageways that afford from a acclaimed pond aperture in eastern New Mexico has died, authorities accustomed Thursday.
The antecedent analysis suggests 43-year-old Shane Thompson's afterlife beneath the Blue Hole, a day-tripper destination in the association of Santa Rosa, was an adventitious drowning.
Police Arch Jude Gallegos said Thompson was a allotment of 10 or so humans from the ADM Analysis Foundation who were at Blue Aperture for a multiple-day exploration. The accumulation had been alive on analysis the underwater cavern arrangement back 2013.
Thompson affable into Blue Aperture on March 26 with addition accomplished diver, Mike Young, Gallegos said. They planned to accept Adolescent admission allotment of the cavern arrangement while Thompson backward alfresco in a assurance role.
Instead of blockage outside, Thompson entered, Gallegos said. "Apparently something went angrily wrong, and he started to panic," the arch said.
The defined were about 160 anxiety beneath the apparent if the adventure happened.
It still was cryptic Thursday what went wrong. It could be weeks afore dissection after-effects are available, the accompaniment Office of the Medical Investigator said.
No added analysis is planned of the underwater cavern arrangement at Blue Hole, said Curt Bowen, admiral of the analysis foundation.
"The cavern arrangement beneath is belted out. That agency there is no cavern admission larboard to explore," he said in an email. "We mapped aggregate we could fit through, and it concluded in a bound bedrock breakdown at a abyss of 194 feet."
Because of the acute ambiance aural the cavern system, the city-limits accustomed the group's advocacy that the cavern arrangement abide off-limits to the public. The defined covered and anchored the abrade at the basal of the bell-shaped pond aperture to anticipate green defined from accepting access.
Family associates said Thursday they were disturbing with Thompson's death, but they accustomed that diving was what he admired to do and that he had becoming abundant certifications during his lifetime.
A Navy veteran, Thompson began diving at a adolescent age while growing up in the Florida Keys. Afterwards earning his aboriginal certification, he went to plan for an underwater architecture aggregation and afterwards started abundant diving businesses that focused on aggregate from baiter aliment to deliver plan and training.
Last year, Thompson rediscovered the accident of the B-36 "Peacemaker" adviser that had comatose in 1952 abreast Mission Beach. A video acquaint by Thompson's San Diego-based Advanced Underwater Training business shows his flashlight scanning the engines and added breakable pieces of the even as he makes his way through the black added than 250 anxiety beneath the surface.
In New Mexico, the Blue Aperture has been an allure for centuries. Legend has it that outlaw Billy the Kid would yield a dip at the pond aperture afore branch into Santa Rosa.
The artesian spring, tucked into a bedrock outcropping, pumps out about 3,000 gallons per minute. The abiding breeze after-effects in bright clear altitude that accept admiring defined from about the world.
Beyond the grate, Gallegos declared the cavern arrangement as "a bewilderment — affectionate of looks like intestines."
In the advancing weeks, Bowen said he affairs to complete a three-dimensional map that will allegorize the absolute Blue Aperture system.
The caves accept been closed off back 1976, if two defined in training died afterwards accepting afar from their classmates. New Mexico Accompaniment Badge defined bound begin one of the bodies, but it took several weeks to acquisition the other. In the process, badge defined fabricated a awkward map of some of the adopted passages.
At that time, one of the defined descended and begin himself at the bend of an underwater cliff. His able flashlight wasn't abundant to see the cavern bank beyond from him or the bottom, sparking alone added curiosity.
In 2013, defined with the ADM Analysis Foundation attempted an expedition, but they had little success accepting accomplished the bags of bedrock the city-limits dumped assimilate the abrade to accumulate humans out.
Divers with the foundation alternate in 2015 for added blasting plan and were able to ability a abyss of 160 feet. They alternate in backward March to abide surveying.
Divers from about the arena army to Blue Aperture for fun and certification, as it's one of the best diving spots in the American Southwest. About 8,000 dive permits are awash anniversary year.
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