Random Terrifying Scuba Accidents That Will Make You Think Twice About Diving (16 items)

(#16) A Tragic Diving Accident Turns Suspicious After All Evidence Is Erased
What was supposed to be a trip of a lifetime turned into something far more tragic when a young 23-year-old died on her first introductory scuba dive at the Great Barrier Reef. The young woman was learning the basics when she got separated from her instructor. About a half an hour later, she was found on the sea floor and was declared dead by drowning.
A short time later, her friends and family asked for pictures from the boat right before she went on her dive, but they were shocked to discover that all pictures from that day were inexplicably deleted. The family doesn't necessarily suspect foul play, but they question why they would need to delete those photos if they didn't reveal something important.
(#11) A Diver Dies After a Powerful Blast of Water Smashes Him Against a Wall
Two experienced divers were exploring a deep cavern at the Blue Spring State Park when tragedy struck. While diving, the force of the water suddenly knocked one diver's mask off and tore his regulator out of his mouth. The force was so powerful that it then slammed him into the wall. His diving partner failed to help him; then panic forced the partner to ascend rapidly, which resulted in his hospitalization. When authorities dove back in to retrieve the dead body, they found the diver pinned between a cavern wall and a rock and struggled to remove him.
(#14) Inexperience Leads to Death in a Narrow, Silty Cave
Always know exactly what you're able to handle, because diving will never go easy on you. Two friends who were inexperienced in cave diving ran out of air and drowned in an underwater cavern in Lake Apopka. They didn't know what they were getting into and dove in an area that was incredibly restrictive and silty.
When diving in an area with a lot of silt, it's easy to stir it up and create a fog that hinders all sight. What most likely happened is that the two were down in the cave, someone stirred up debris, they lost track of where they were, they panicked, and then drowned. Later reports reveal that the two didn't have anything close to the proper gear needed to make a successful cave dive.
(#9) Operator Error Takes the Life of an Experienced Diver
During one of his many dives at Dutch Springs recreation area, 38-year-old Eugene Fleysher accidentally drowned. He was found unresponsive in the water after ascending from around 30 feet. An autopsy report revealed that his equipment was poorly maintained and maladjusted, which only highlights the importance of always checking your gear before diving. Fleysher is just one of at least 16 people who have died in that same spot over the last 30 years.
(#13) Two Divers Go Too Deep and Die Mysteriously
Diving past a certain point comes with serious risks. Even the most experienced divers can die at a moment's notice thanks to harsh deep-water conditions. During a deep dive near Nanaimo, two divers met their end after attempting to dive too deep within the popular diving spot.
We will never quite know what happened, but we do know that a group of three men went out to enjoy a day of diving. One of the men stayed at a shallower area while the other two descended deeper. Something went wrong and one of the men drowned underwater, while the other struggled back up to the surface. At that point, though, it was too late and the injuries from the dive took the second man's life, as well.
(#2) At Least Eight Divers Have Perished in Jacob's Well Due to False Exits and Blinding Silt
In Texas, a beautiful diving spot known as Jacob's Well has developed a reputation as one of the most dangerous places to dive in the country. Although alluring, at least eight divers have lost their lives in Jacob's Well, with perhaps the worst being young Richard Patton. The Southwest Texas State University student was looking for a way to move from chamber to chamber in the cave, and ended up getting stuck in a false chimney that looked like a way out.
In parts of this underwater cave system, the floors are covered in fine gravel or silt and if a flipper so much as brushes the surface, the stirred-up sediment completely obscures a diver's vision, effectively blinding them.
Free-diver Diego Adame recorded his terrifying near-drowning in the caves, after he lost a flipper and had to jettison his weight belt in a dash for the surface.
Don Dibble, a nearby dive shop owner who is usually the one to pull the remains of dead divers out of the cave, attempted to seal of the depths of the well by installing a gate to stop people from going too deep. Shortly after, he found the gate destroyed with a note saying "You can't keep us out." Although extremely dangerous, it seems the cave is too alluring to stay away.