Celebrated US Diver Dies In Cave Where He Set World Record A Decade Ago

A renowned underwater diver died during an expedition inside the Texas cave where he set a world record a decade earlier.

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What happened?

The body of 56-year-old Brett Hemphill was recovered from Phantom Springs Cave, four days after he vanished in the treacherous cavern, his company Karst Underwater Research announced.

The research centre said Hemphill and the company¡¯s director Andy Pitkin started in 450 feet of water at about 7,300 feet of penetration. At 570 feet, camera footage captured Hemphill tying off a guideline on a rock before the pair became separated.

Hemphill never resurfaced.

Where and when?

The two divers had begun exploring the Phantom Springs Cave in Toyahvale, West Texas at around 10.45 am last Wednesday. His body was discovered on Sunday.

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Why?

The research centre said it suspected Hemphill was stuck over a mile inside an underwater cave, and so multiple recovery divers travelled ¡°thousands of miles¡± to assist in the search.

¡°All cave recovery divers are self-supported ¨C there are no organizations that fund those efforts. Cave diver recoveries are logistically difficult and this one is especially so,¡± the statement said.

¡°He was quite a ways back in there,¡± C.W. Stephens, a deputy at the Jeff Davis County Sheriff¡¯s Office told the Tampa Bay Times. ¡°It¡¯s supposedly quite technical diving in there. Once they locate (the body), if they do, there¡¯s a lot of passages and current going all kinds of ways down there.¡±

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Who was Hemphill?

Hemphill was president of Karst Underwater Research, a non-profit organisation based in Florida, focused on scientific research to help preserve and protect underwater caves. He had an illustrious career as a cave explorer, spending over 25 years smashing diving records and collecting scientific data.

Hemphill and KUR team set the country¡¯s deep-underwater cave record in 2008 after reaching a depth of 407 feet in Florida¡¯s Weeki Wachee Springs ¡ª subsequently discovering that it is the deepest known naturally formed spring in the country, according to his company biography.

Hemphill smashed his own record just five years later while exploring Phantom Springs. He made it just over 465 feet below the surface and 8,000 feet back in the cave, also revealing that it is the deepest underwater cave yet measured in the US.

He has also explored and researched caves on the Florida coast, Missouri, Bahamas, Cay Sal Banks, Dominican Republic and Yucatan Peninsula, according to his profile on the research centre¡¯s website.

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How did his loved ones react?

¡°Please allow us some time to come to terms with his loss, as up until now we have been focused on the recovery,¡± Karst Underwater Research's statement said.

¡°We worked with him a lot over the years and had a lot of adventures. I¡¯ll forever be grateful to have known him and called him a friend,¡± Emmy-winning photographer Becky Kagan Schott said in a Facebook post. ¡°Brett always pushed me but never in a bad way. I¡¯m better because I knew him.¡±

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