Better Access urged for Cave Dive Rescuers

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Better access urged for dive rescuers

The accident that critically injured a 48-year-old Tampa woman has spurred talk of a plan for the remote Eagle's Nest underwater caves.

By RICK GERSHMAN
Published October 2, 2005


BAYPORT - A sign stands outside the entrance to Eagle's Nest, the world-renowned underwater cave system buried deep in the Chassahowitzka wildlife management area.

In large white letters, all capitalized, it reads:

CAVE DIVING IN THIS AREA IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS - EVEN LIFE THREATENING!

DO NOT DIVE UNLESS YOU ARE A CERTIFIED CAVE DIVER!!

Eagle's Nest is west of Weeki Wachee and is accessible via a dirt road from County Road 550. Its remote location is, in a sense, one of its greatest safety features. No one's likely to simply stumble upon the unassuming, algae-covered pond that provides access to the caves.

That's good, because navigating the system is appropriate only for adventurers highly skilled in cave diving and technical diving - deep water exploration that requires decompression stops and assorted breathing gas mixtures.

But the remote location also has its downside, as recently evidenced when a 48-year-old cave diver from Tampa was critically injured due to errors in her tanks' gas mixtures.

Judi Bedard, a registered nurse at Tampa General Hospital, had no pulse when she was pulled from Eagle's Nest on Sept. 11. She was resuscitated at the site and flown to Shands at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where she has remained in critical condition.

Two technical diving experts who happened to be exploring Eagle's Nest the day Bedard was injured lauded Hernando County Fire Rescue workers' performance at the scene.

But Gregg Stanton and James Garey also noted concerns that the dive site's location - not only is it remote, but unpaved access paths make it hard to navigate - pushed the time frame for providing medical help to unsatisfactory lengths.

Fire Rescue couldn't bring an ambulance to the scene so it had to transport Bedard in a Ford Expedition.

"The difficulty in bringing EMS to the site was particularly troublesome," said Stanton, formerly the diving safety officer at Florida State University. "Taking the victim in on a backboard in an SUV with no IV drip was surprising, but necessary, while the ambulance and helicopter waited at the edge of the forest.

"A good 30 minutes - probably more - could have been saved and better EMS care could have been available had a recovery plan been in place for the Eagle's Nest dive site."

Michael Nickerson, the Hernando County Fire Rescue Chief, said the number of calls his agency has responded to at Eagle's Nest "have been very remote."

However, he said, "in light of this situation, we certainly wouldn't be opposed to working with the Fish and Wildlife people to improve access out there."

Garey, who serves on the University of South Florida's diving control board, said he suggested to the area manager that Fish and Wildlife add a helicopter pad to the site.

"Concrete's not necessary to set one of those things down," said Fish and Wildlife spokesman Gary Morse. "But it's certainly possible to clear a small area for a helicopter to set down in. That is certainly something we might consider."

Still, adding a landing area for the Bayflite helicopter stationed near Hernando County Airport might not expedite medical care as much as might be expected.

That's because Bayflite is by design a second responder, explained Nancy Waite, spokeswoman for Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg. That means Hernando Fire Rescue personnel still would need to report to the scene as first responders, assess whether Bayflite is necessary and then call the medical transport service in.

"The ground crew, the first responders, determine whether we're needed," she explained. "And if they call us, we go. We don't question it ever."

But Bayflite also needs that ground crew to determine whether the helicopter has a safe place to land or ensure an area gets cleared for landing if necessary.

"We offer them training on how to set up a landing zone, and they're in constant communication with us," she said. "But even if they would create (a landing) space, the first responders would still have to go there and check this area to make sure it's clear."

Waite said Bayflite would be happy to discuss with Fish and Wildlife any plan that would improve emergency workers' ability to save lives: "We would absolutely go to the table and talk with them. Whatever's best for patient care."

Morse said the commission has had internal conversations about improving rescuers' access to Eagle's Nest following the diving mishap Sept. 11.

One thing it will not consider, he said, is closing off access altogether. That had occurred in the past following deaths in the cave system.

Last year, two divers perished inside the cave system.

"It takes a great deal of expertise to dive but so does every cave," he said. "Only highly qualified people do it, and (they understand) the risks. It's similar to skydiving that way."

--Rick Gershman can be reached at rgershman@sptimes.com

[Last modified October 2, 2005, 01:57:16]

From The St Petersberg Times

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/10/02/Hernando/Better_access_urged_f.shtml