Incident Report

1989-04-08Three novice divers entered a French resurgence in good conditions and progressed about 400m to the head of a shaft. The three descended to the bottom of the shaft at 50m. Shortly after the third diver landed a neat pile of thin string dive line fell into a heap next to him. The line had clearly broken at the top and the shaft was now unlined. No matter the visibility was still a good 10 metres. The three divers returned to the top of the shaft and what had been a simple entrance passage opening out onto a shaft had become a mysterious complex of beddings and rifts. The three divers swam round the shaft a few times looking for the line. Eventually a prominent tooth of rock was spotted that looked like a good place to belay line. On further investigation it was found that someone else had though so too and there was the line out.Manage your line carefully. Thin line is fragile. Take compass bearings regularly. Practice your lost line drills.