An interstate cave diving trip turned tragic in South Australia, resulting in the drowning of one experienced diver and the rescue of another.
The incident occurred in Tantanoola, a town situated 413 kilometers south of Adelaide near the border with Victoria, where emergency responders were dispatched on Sunday morning following reports of the divers encountering difficulties.
The duo had been exploring Tank Cave, a nature reserve located just south of the town alongside the Princes Highway.
While one diver became trapped between rocks and was subsequently rescued, the body of the second diver, a 65-year-old man from Victoria, was later discovered by authorities.
Currently, a recovery operation is being conducted by officers from the Water Operations Unit to manage the situation further.
A recovery operation involving officers from the Water Operations Unit is now underway.
‘There are no reports of any other injuries and there are no safety concerns regarding the incident,’ a police statement read.
A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
A cage diver has drowned at Tank Cave, located in a field just south of Tantanoola, SA
The diver, 65, from Victoria encountered trouble in the caves on Sunday morning
The site is owned by Cave Divers Association of Australia (CDAA), which is assisting authorities.
‘Emergency services crews are on site and liaising with the CDAA,’ a spokesperson told Daily Mail.
‘No further details are available at this time and updates will be made as new information comes to light.’
The rest of the group the divers were with are safe and accounted for.
Tank Cave, a popular diving spot, is located just 3.9km from Tantanoola Caves Conservation Park, which is home to one of the best cave systems in the state, known for its beautiful pink and brown formations.
The diving spot located 25km from Mount Gambier, is open most weekends to divers who can book the site through the CDDA website.
It is rated as an ‘advanced cave site’, which means it is an ‘enclosed body of water containing silt, darkness zones, and passages that are at times are not large enough for two divers to buddy alongside’.
According to the CDAA, divers must have completed advanced cave training – which involves a minimum of 25 unsupervised cave dives in at least 4 different sites – and a CDDA site access officer is always present when the spot is in use.
Tank Cave was named after a water tank that used to rest over the top of the entrance, which is underground.
‘After climbing down a short ladder, the small surface lake leads to an extensive, maze-like system with over 7km of dive-able passage – this makes it one of the longest underwater caves in Australia,’ the CDAA website reads.
‘Fixed line runs throughout most of the cave, although many of the side passages do require jumps.’
The popular diving spot (pictured) is located on Princes Highway
It is not the first time an incident has unfolded at the notoriously complicated and extensive cave system, with two divers dying in separate tragedies in 2011.
In February that year, archaeologist Agnes Milowka, 29, died in Tank Cave when she ran out of air after becoming separated from her diving buddy.
Eight months later, two men were exploring the same cave when one returned to the surface and realised his companion was missing.
He returned into the cave and found his friend, a 40-year-old man from the Melbourne, dead 50 metres from the entrance.
