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SWEETYV22 · 03-17-2007, 06:16 PM

A spokeswoman for the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, Becky Herrin, said the three men, all advanced certified divers, died trying what is known as a "penetration dive," a risky exploration into the dark passages and compartments of a sunken vessel, in this case the Spiegel Grove, a 510-foot decommissioned Navy ship.

The Spiegel Grove was sunk in 2002 to form an artificial reef just over five miles off Key Largo, 60 miles south of Miami and 100 miles north of Key West.

Even the most experienced diver can become disoriented trying to explore confined spaces like the inside of a ship, Ms. Herrin said, adding, "Im told it looks like a maze inside" the Spiegel Grove.

Coast Guard officials said that Mark Cianciu, the captain of the Scuba-Do, the boat the men had chartered, notified them when the four did not return to the surface at the scheduled time Friday. A short while later, one diver, Howard Spralter of Westfield, N.J., who had remained outside the sunken ship while the others explored the interior, surfaced and told Mr. Cianciu that the three others were still inside.

One of the three, 51-year-old Kevin Coughlin of Chatham Borough, N.J., was eventually brought to the surface by two divers from a nearby vessel and placed on board a Coast Guard ship. Mr. Coughlin, who officials said was unresponsive, was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation but was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

The bodies of the other two divers, Scott Stanley and 38-year-old Jonathan Walsweer, both of Westfield, remained trapped inside the sunken ship Friday night. Divers from the Key Largo Volunteer Fire-Rescue Department suspended recovery efforts until Saturday.

Those efforts could be daunting, said the department chief, Sergio Garcia. Waves were topping 10 feet at the surface, Chief Garcia said, with strong currents below, and to reach the trapped men divers would have to submerge to depths of more than 130 feet.

At such depths, he said, divers can become disoriented and lose track of the direction of the surface because there is little to no ambient light.

There are a lot of challenges posed to our rescuers," Chief Garcia said. "There is zero visibility down there. We dont want to have any more victims."

Friday's accident brings the death toll for explorers of the Spiegel Grove to six since its sinking, police reports indicate.

Jen Barker, a dive instructor and guide for Ocean Divers charter service in Key Largo, said that thousands of divers had swum around the ship since 2002 and that the water around it was considered a relatively safe place to observe marine life.

"It's always been a great dive, a safe dive," Ms. Barker said, but she added that she did not allow her clients to do penetration dives at the site.

03-17-2007, 06:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
SWEETYV22 Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Fl Posts: 141 Rep Power: 9	How deep would you go?? A spokeswoman for the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, Becky Herrin, said the three men, all advanced certified divers, died trying what is known as a "penetration dive," a risky exploration into the dark passages and compartments of a sunken vessel, in this case the Spiegel Grove, a 510-foot decommissioned Navy ship. The Spiegel Grove was sunk in 2002 to form an artificial reef just over five miles off Key Largo, 60 miles south of Miami and 100 miles north of Key West. Even the most experienced diver can become disoriented trying to explore confined spaces like the inside of a ship, Ms. Herrin said, adding, "Im told it looks like a maze inside" the Spiegel Grove. Coast Guard officials said that Mark Cianciu, the captain of the Scuba-Do, the boat the men had chartered, notified them when the four did not return to the surface at the scheduled time Friday. A short while later, one diver, Howard Spralter of Westfield, N.J., who had remained outside the sunken ship while the others explored the interior, surfaced and told Mr. Cianciu that the three others were still inside. One of the three, 51-year-old Kevin Coughlin of Chatham Borough, N.J., was eventually brought to the surface by two divers from a nearby vessel and placed on board a Coast Guard ship. Mr. Coughlin, who officials said was unresponsive, was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation but was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The bodies of the other two divers, Scott Stanley and 38-year-old Jonathan Walsweer, both of Westfield, remained trapped inside the sunken ship Friday night. Divers from the Key Largo Volunteer Fire-Rescue Department suspended recovery efforts until Saturday. Those efforts could be daunting, said the department chief, Sergio Garcia. Waves were topping 10 feet at the surface, Chief Garcia said, with strong currents below, and to reach the trapped men divers would have to submerge to depths of more than 130 feet. At such depths, he said, divers can become disoriented and lose track of the direction of the surface because there is little to no ambient light. There are a lot of challenges posed to our rescuers," Chief Garcia said. "There is zero visibility down there. We dont want to have any more victims." Friday's accident brings the death toll for explorers of the Spiegel Grove to six since its sinking, police reports indicate. Jen Barker, a dive instructor and guide for Ocean Divers charter service in Key Largo, said that thousands of divers had swum around the ship since 2002 and that the water around it was considered a relatively safe place to observe marine life. "It's always been a great dive, a safe dive," Ms. Barker said, but she added that she did not allow her clients to do penetration dives at the site.