Every cave dive I do, I make sure my family knows my will. I know if I want to cave dive, Im also willing to die for what I love. I know what I have to do If I am stuck. I accept my fate, tie myself up, write my last words, and know if someone ever finds my body. I didnt die In vein. I know that if I cannot save my fellow divers in a cave, and they will suffer Decompression sickness, I know that I am doing the right thing by drowning them. I take the risks. Its my choices.
Dave was an amazing guy, before you judge what he did, why don't you listen to what his wife has to say at the end. It was merely an excuse to go that deep, and what an excuse! Most divers of daves skill are dead, killed in similar circumstances. I am a tech diver but I am no risk taker, I'm still afraid of blowing an ear drum past 30 meters. They really grind safety into your head during your training.(Not BS cruise diving or any of that garbage 3 day instruction period)
As a professional commercial diver, I can see both sides of this. Personally, I don't engage in any scuba work anymore, regardless of depth. It's inherently risky to any depth, but when you complicate it with a lack of vocal comms, multiple lines and a body bag, things are stacking against you. Personally, with utmost respect, I don't think he had the experience of working in the water. It's very different from bouncing up and down a shot line. I've read 'Raising the dead' and never did it ment
i dont quite understand how he died...dont they usually have like 4 extra tanks on them? why could you not breathe off of one of the others? i am just a rec. diver, so idk about rebreather stuff.
@grijper12 he died from an effort-independent expiratory flow which resulted in an inability to match ventilation to the demands of physical work at that great depth as wikipedia says
I think that the biggest issue for this dive, after watching it a few times now, obvious lack of oxygen-panic. He knew that he was in trouble when he realized, it was too late already. Poor guy . At least he loved what he did. I think he must have been a really good sort.
When a person is suffering these effects their thinking , judgement and even physical actions become labored. It is a bit like trying to win an iron man/woman contest without doing the training first.
yea girlslikdivin24 but there are good scuba diving stories on the net also. The myscubastory site has dive accident videos and stories, along with lots of other videos and stories on diving! Type mscubastory into google, and its the first one! enjoy
@RationalTheism His breathing started to become very fast and shallow as he was stressing himself to first get the body and second keep the lines from tangling. His rebreather could not vent the excess C02 and as the concentration builds in his lungs the task of untangling himself that last time proves to be fatal. At the point he is tangled the last time he is becoming panicked and his breathing rate increases he struggles with the line until it becomes so difficult he blacks out and dies.
I've been working in EMS since 1979 (RN, CFRN, CCEMT-P) with the last 15 spent on a helicopter. I'm also a diver.
One of the most basic rules of rescue is "dont' create more victims", a rule I've followed strictly, and although I've had injuries, they were all relatively minor.
I have the utmost respect for Mr Shaws abilities as a diver.
That being said, dying for the sake of recovering a body is one of the most foolish things anyone can do.
yea scuba4babesm but there are good dive stories and funny accident videos on the net too! Try the myscubastory site. They have real life dive accident stories, dive wreck discovery stories, shark encounter videos and more! Type myscubastory into google and its the first one ! enjoy buddy !
wait are these underwater caves like .. you dive down.. go into them.. then you can like rise and be in a room cavity full of oxygen??! thats effing crazy. Do you think underwater ships or submarines still have huge pockets of air?
@metelfann3 because he got the lines caught up and the physical effort he made to free himself caused him to start breathing very heavily and his rebreather couldnt keep up with the ventilation at that depth and pressure. He blacked out and died trying to regain composure and get to the surface, his dive buddy who is narrating this almost died too. He was an amazing diver and very professional. He basically got very overworked and passed out on his way back up. Both bodies floated to the surface
yes DMFD45 but there are good dive story sites with videos etc on the net too. try the myscubastory site. type myscubastory into google and its the first one. enjoy
R.I.P, Dave.. As some one who loves diving, the video brought me to tears. I want to borrow this saying ....it's not the years you live that matter, it's the life in the years that matter.
If you start reading thins you CANT stop .Once ther was a little girl named Cecilia.She was a little 7 year old who got strangled and raped by a man =.If you dont post this to 15 other videos you will see CCecilia standing at the end of your bed with a knife and she will kill you You have to do this by midnight or you will be dead
yes correct MrCrzy, But there are also good dive stories and videos on the net too! Try the myscubastory site. Type myscubastory into google and its the first one!
@TeknikAlity34 open water/cave/altitude diving Is an amazing experience, yes its dangerous but it's all part of the experience, you prepare well, act sensibly accidents don't happen. but pool diving stil sucks!
Dave & Ann Shaw - the nicest couple I have ever met. I knew him from going to the same church. He was a great guy & loved everyone and would do anything for anyone, which is what eventually took his life - recovering his friends body.
@Ozznize No, it's not pretentious, it's the truth. When a person is not given a choice in a matter, it is really no big deal if they do it. Is it a big deal when a person goes to primary school? Not particularly.
But a person who joins the military, willing to risk their health, their life, and their happiness for the sake of another, by their OWN DECISION, that is very special. That is a person unlike most.
@17thknight Your not very intelligent. maybe you should read the story behind this? Who are you to judge my character by a statement. Speaking before u know the truth speaks worlds about you. He was asked not to retrieve the body of the passed on diver by his mother and father (he had died many yrs earlier), Alot of well accomplished divers shunned them for doing this and even they knew it was more for the glory then anything. Yes a stupid way to die!
@17thknight you really are a fool if you think that people join the army for the reasons you said. many people who join the u.s. army are in desperate need of cash. this happens a LOT. sure some may join because they are overwhelmingly patriotic and some join because they are gung ho and want to shoot people.
I know little about diving. What did he die from? Was it expelled Carbon Dioxide from inhaling faster than the tank could produce fresh air? Wouldnt it be like breathing in and out of a palstic bag at some point? I was able to see he was getting confused by hismovements.. Am I accurate or ..? Thanks! I AWLAYS wanted to Dive-BUT I MUST always exceed my Limits. That would mean certain death to me.!!
@855h0le David Shaw used carpet underlay felt as a scrubber in his re breather as he couldn't get hold of a new one. (his supplier was moving premises and had packed them away) His scrubber had been incorrectly and roughly reassembled. He knew he shouldn't have made that dive. He died of ego driven stupidity. Very Sad. He was so narced that when he got his knife out to cut away he couldn't remember why he had the knife in his hand. It is quite clear on the video he took at the time
incredible dive , anyone whos brave enough to dive to those depths to recover a body is a hero ,i take my hat off to you ,may you rest in peace fellow diver
@uglyfishey: It's senseless to start a discussion with you. How has Berkcam - one of the few credible (!) divers - called your sort of "experts"? Right, arm chair divers. Go and play with your PADI instructor. ;-)
To all the people who have questions or who doubt the "skill-level" of David, there is an excellent book written about his life and specifically this last dive and the dives building up to it. The book is called "Raising the Dead" by Phillip Finch. If you have any interest in this event, the book is a really good place to start.
Shouldn't he have a buddy diver? I agree with Znaiko why waste time fumbling with a body bag. Was the dead body decomposed? I wonder if he wasn't breathing too deeply but fast then passed out from carbon monoxide? I'm just a new diver and don't know technical diving. Being tangled in line with a dead body at over 250 feet deep alone in a cave sounds like something to get nervous about. I might breath a little quick myself. Brave men sometimes die doing brave things.
wow.i see lots on comment saying lots of shit about the guy.that i was not experience enough.first,its not the year you have been diving,but how many dive you did.and like some said,accident happens.i can only say RIP Dave.a mane who died doing what he loves is a lot of people dream.
I am a diver myself and i respect all Dave`s achievements,but one question i cant answer myself is - Why the hell bodybag??? Can`t just tangle him to the line and pull him out?Its just a dead body !
@Znaiko : There were concerns that the body would "break up" on the way and the bag was to "keep it all together" The body had been there for about 10 years if I remember correctly.
@richardgerstner yes u r correct the body stayed 10 years at the bottom so the only thing that can "break up" is his diving suit.....Cutting away the cylinders and put the buddy in bodyback is a HELL of a job even at 100meters depth.To question Daves skills and bravery is beyond stupid but i think he somehow wanted the extra attention
@mxr73 I See your point. However, a life spent playing it safe can be just as rewarding. You ask not to be judged and yet you past judgment on those how don't need to risk life to see the pure beauty of it.
@ballsthatclank Life is precious.....too precious to have it wasted living a "safe" life. I will gladly take chances that other will not. Not because I wish death but because it makes me feel alive. I don't ask for sympathy, I ask for understanding and to not be judged because of the way I lead my life.
@mikewtp If my comment wasnt explanation enough, then i dont know how else to explain it to you. He left family and friends behind to go after 10 year old remains the family didnt even want recovered. To me that is ignorant.
@cantbuytime I still don't see how lack of knowledge had anything to do with it. Maybe you're conflating ignorance with stupidity. Even then, I don't think he was being stupid. Shit just happens. See uglyfishey's post.
@cantbuytime HE died trying to help a follow diver. It's a matter of honor. That you cannot see this, and instead call such courage "ignorant" is disgusting, but it speaks far more to your complete lack of character than it does about David Shaw.
@cantbuytime Actually, Deon's family did desperately want his remains recovered. He was only 20 years old, and perished unexpectedly, for reasons unknown, and his mother never felt a sense of closure. Attempts were made to recover the body via an unmanned vehicle immediately after his death, and were unsuccessful. Dave originally discovered the body on an earlier dive to the bottom about 3 months earlier, and couldn't recover it. He felt driven to return for the body. Amazing man. RIP David Shaw
I've been diving since '86 erstabachtzehn. I have a comment... Do you know any respect? It's not only about education, and experience. How many dives have you logged, or not logged since '87? Would you be man enough to go and find a friends body for the family, risking your life to do so? If not, you have no room to say anything. I don't either, but I know and realize...sociopath
great book on this tragedy called raising the dead. Amazing what dave achieved and even more amazing what don shirley went through on his ascent from this fateful dive. he is lucky to be alive.
I was a professional diver voor 20+years. Made more than 4500 dives. I have just one Question. Why is this man alone on that depht, were is his standby diver? How experienced are you as a diver when going alone with a rebreather on that depht??? It was oke going alone when he had surface supple trough an umbilical and communications. But you need always a standby diver. Thats way almost al the accidents happen with recreation divers. there ego's are to big. A piece of rope kills him!
@PeterBensen He was not diving alone, he was with his diving buddy Don Shirley and meeting him with the body at a depth of 220m, they had some police divers on the surface (Their limit 20m) and several other experienced divers down the line. He mostly died from CO2 build up. They said the only thing he did wrong was either not switching to his OC or not abandoning the body when his time was up because it was a few minutes after his time was up that he attempted to abandoned the body.
@baldwalrus7 why was his buddy at 220m? also why didnt he go down with the same gear he did on the search eg: umbilical, communications etc and thanks for the reply
@HopeAndBroke He didn't search for the body. He discovered it on a dive exploring the bottom of the cave. They said that the caves were so narrow at some points that you had to get your buoyancy correct or your tank would be scratching the top of the cave or you will be in the silt and mud so I guess that's why they were meeting at 220m. He used the same equiptment but instead of having the light around his neck it was around his wrist which got him into a wee bit of trouble (it helped kill him)
World records??? 333 dives??? LOL! So he was an avdanced beginner with a huge amount of money and no idea about risk assessment. However, people who shouldn't dive are being sorted out :-) . Nice video - until now I've never seen an idiot loosing his life while recovering a DEAD body...
@erstabachtzehn I am insulted by your comment because I really respect David Shaw. Shaw had been diving at this site before he discovered Deon's body. It had become a real passion in his life and "people who shouldn't dive" are you, Shaw believed that he could take this body home, and he did. The mother said that seeing and embracing her son had "brought her peace". His acheivements were monumentous, getting all of these qualifications in just 5 years! I'd like to see you try to do what he did!
@erstabachtzehn I doubt any of your dives were nearly as complicated as this dive. He died doing what he wanted to do, and if I end up dieing like him I won't feel cheated out of life. He knew exactly what the risk assessment was and asked if he doesn't come out of this dive that his body would be left there. A fitting tomb for a diver.
@baldwalrus7 I agree baldwalrus. He was maybe a little too brave to go to that depth with only 5 years experience. I know course directors for PADI that have been diving since the 1960's that wouldn't have done that. Bottom line, brave move. To go that deep is risking life for a life that has already passed. Maybe he should have gradually done this. Insane depth. Maybe other arrangements would have been better. Who Knows, but the point I'm making is anyone who talks smack cannot back it up. Rip
@erstabachtzehn Clearly you aren't a professional diver and part of the diving community. If you were, you would have more understanding for the guy, rather than insulting his accomplishments and embarrassing his family.
Like I have said to others, hold a few world records, then someone here will respect what you say. In the mean time, you're just some other guy who has no idea what he is talking about.
@LokiLasher They say that it wasn't the Nitrogen Narcosis that was the cause of his death - he was still in control of all his movements. He died from a build up of CO2 - "once concentration of CO2 starts to build, you cannot will yourself to slow down and breathe more deeply"
He should of grabbed the body and headed back. He could of put the body in the bag later, when he was closer to the surface. Or dump the gear off the body and head back. He spent way too much time dealing with getting the body in the bag.
@ToxicFuzion you are 100% correct, it is hard work for two divers to stuff a big, floppy, floating corpse in a bag - been there and done that. For one guy alone at that depth its impossible, as proven.
@emoelmo17173 I know I am replying far too much but they had a lot of cylinders right for the depth (for example 8 percent oxygen for deeper and 16 for much less of a depth) and the deepest sets of cylinders were 150 metres down the line. Don Shirley would had reached him if he had not have had malfuntions with his inspiration and the consequences of getting tangled, and having too heavy of breathing at that depth, would have been so much less. (p.s. oxYgen no oxogen) They had many divers there.
I don't know how anybody dives at these depths. Given the pressure that deep, just expanding your chest to breathe deeply enough would take conscious effort. Perhaps recovering bodies at these depths should be compared to recovering bodies on Mt. Everest. It's just too difficult and dangerous.
Trying not to be hindsight-biased about this, because i don't know the full story on the setup to this recovery operation, BUT couldn't dave have done one more "recon" dive before attempting the recovery? how many times did he asses the ite beforehand? he had been consulted on what state the body would be in, told it would be negatively bouyant. but now we know it was not. should he have known that based on the state of the body's wetsuit?
cut up in the line and.......... ???? Stop breathing!!!???? Or they just cut the part of the video when he was trying to free him self!? Dont get it.!
Why was he diving alone? im only an open water diver but isnt it stupid to go solo on any dive especially one as dangerous as this? also wasn't he using a rebreather howd he run out of air or did i miss something?
@HopeAndBroke No he did not run out of air, when he began to breathe heavily, because of unplanned exertion when the body came free and was unexpectantly positvely buoyant, he got a lot of excess CO2 into his system which causes you to breathe shallower and more rapidly which means less O2 and more CO2 into your system which causes you to breathe shallower and more rapid, which turns into an ongoing circle that inevitably leads to death in a suprisingly short amount of time.
I would think that if you have such a hard time with thin rope then you should use a very thick rope and this mite limit the tangle issues. And putting the body in a bag is just not safe at this dept, sorry for your loss. Dept water dives are very dangerous. RIP
I have 230 dives logged and i would not recall myself as an experienced diver, he had 300? hard to understand what was he doing with gear that requires real experience minimum of 1000 dives
"I couldn't keep him tied down..." I know this is tragic but i just can't ignore the irony of those words, considering that is exactly how he drowned.
@ all: interesting detailed article in outside magazine (outside.awayDOTCOM/outside/features/200508/dave-shaw-1.html)
@berkcam: de mortibus nihil nisi bene. But you are right: a professional would have abandoned when something unexpected happens, replan and return later. Or used a ROV. Hope, Dave's tragic dead makes it clear, how thin the rope is, you are balancing on at these depths. RIP, Dave.
I wonder how a diving family can ever say such things about one another, divers are not normal people, we love what we do, and see it as a challenge, although we should always take precaution. unfortuanatly accidents happen, and it is very sad that families get left behind. but our time is our time, rather die doing something that boils your blood than in a car accident or something more tragic. i must say, it has inspired me,how sad would it have been to keep him in a cage!Fly free David Shaw!!
uhm, i'm not a diver and i do things i love all the time, many of them are dangerous to... just because you strap a tank on your back and enter a hostile enviroment doesnt make you special. Quite the opposite, it just makes you NORMAL... you are adventurous, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. you know why david really died? because people cant breath under water... i feel for the family but his decision was stupid and his friends should have stopped him, they are just dodging the guilt.
I am amazed to hear the comments of some who seem to have a limited knowledge of diving. I am a new diver cert in march of 2010 and have only 6 dives and I can understand why he went down why he had trouble and why he died. He went down so fast because every minutes down that deep was an hour doing deco stops added to his time.
There is along list of things that went wrong and why he did not turn around already given. Rest in peace dave your a diver with more honer then most.
RIP
SirGerwain 2 weeks ago
RIP
Motion63O 2 weeks ago
Heavy.
GEEFLEXZ 3 weeks ago
Poor man :,(
KillerGlock17 1 month ago
breathing heavily is a first sign that something is not going right
a6km 1 month ago
The Narc must of really messed him up, This guy had guts.
Forever a real badass, David Shaw.
TheRazorHound 2 months ago 2
Never met him, but as a tech diver myself, my heart goes out to him and his family, may God have him in his glory...
JoseM4x4 2 months ago
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Every cave dive I do, I make sure my family knows my will. I know if I want to cave dive, Im also willing to die for what I love. I know what I have to do If I am stuck. I accept my fate, tie myself up, write my last words, and know if someone ever finds my body. I didnt die In vein. I know that if I cannot save my fellow divers in a cave, and they will suffer Decompression sickness, I know that I am doing the right thing by drowning them. I take the risks. Its my choices.
lizardgizzard108 2 months ago
Dave was an amazing guy, before you judge what he did, why don't you listen to what his wife has to say at the end. It was merely an excuse to go that deep, and what an excuse! Most divers of daves skill are dead, killed in similar circumstances. I am a tech diver but I am no risk taker, I'm still afraid of blowing an ear drum past 30 meters. They really grind safety into your head during your training.(Not BS cruise diving or any of that garbage 3 day instruction period)
TecDiver05 2 months ago
As a professional commercial diver, I can see both sides of this. Personally, I don't engage in any scuba work anymore, regardless of depth. It's inherently risky to any depth, but when you complicate it with a lack of vocal comms, multiple lines and a body bag, things are stacking against you. Personally, with utmost respect, I don't think he had the experience of working in the water. It's very different from bouncing up and down a shot line. I've read 'Raising the dead' and never did it ment
000bubblehead000 2 months ago 5
a human life should never be risked to save a dead body
mudkipping 2 months ago 2
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Wow, so sad. David Shaw was a real hero. Selfless! R.I.P. Sir.
JaniceVL 3 months ago
Wow, so sad. David Shaw was a real hero. Selfless! R.I.P.
JaniceVL 3 months ago
rip david shaw you will always be remember as one of the greatest
tattoosoul123 3 months ago
i dont quite understand how he died...dont they usually have like 4 extra tanks on them? why could you not breathe off of one of the others? i am just a rec. diver, so idk about rebreather stuff.
deathman113 4 months ago
@deathman113 i dont think he died because he ran out of air but because of the pressure there is at that depth
grijper12 2 months ago
@grijper12 he died from an effort-independent expiratory flow which resulted in an inability to match ventilation to the demands of physical work at that great depth as wikipedia says
a6km 1 month ago
Remember the move called The Descent? This is a lot like it, but in real life.
lizardgizzard108 4 months ago
rip david shaw
wecandoitmeandyou 4 months ago
I think that the biggest issue for this dive, after watching it a few times now, obvious lack of oxygen-panic. He knew that he was in trouble when he realized, it was too late already. Poor guy . At least he loved what he did. I think he must have been a really good sort.
When a person is suffering these effects their thinking , judgement and even physical actions become labored. It is a bit like trying to win an iron man/woman contest without doing the training first.
Celizamite 4 months ago
270 METERS!!! Holy Shit!!
This is simply a TWO dive rescue like the diver did for the diver in the Blue Hole.
This is too macho...I would NOT do this "rescue" in one dive.
So sad. One miscalculation.
Beautiful eulogy by his wife.
edmonddantes64 4 months ago in playlist Diving
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yea girlslikdivin24 but there are good scuba diving stories on the net also. The myscubastory site has dive accident videos and stories, along with lots of other videos and stories on diving! Type mscubastory into google, and its the first one! enjoy
marinefish321 5 months ago
So how'd Dave die?
RationalTheism 5 months ago
@RationalTheism His breathing started to become very fast and shallow as he was stressing himself to first get the body and second keep the lines from tangling. His rebreather could not vent the excess C02 and as the concentration builds in his lungs the task of untangling himself that last time proves to be fatal. At the point he is tangled the last time he is becoming panicked and his breathing rate increases he struggles with the line until it becomes so difficult he blacks out and dies.
DocHolliday1879 5 months ago
I've been working in EMS since 1979 (RN, CFRN, CCEMT-P) with the last 15 spent on a helicopter. I'm also a diver.
One of the most basic rules of rescue is "dont' create more victims", a rule I've followed strictly, and although I've had injuries, they were all relatively minor.
I have the utmost respect for Mr Shaws abilities as a diver.
That being said, dying for the sake of recovering a body is one of the most foolish things anyone can do.
OffRoadRN 5 months ago 13
yea scuba4babesm but there are good dive stories and funny accident videos on the net too! Try the myscubastory site. They have real life dive accident stories, dive wreck discovery stories, shark encounter videos and more! Type myscubastory into google and its the first one ! enjoy buddy !
seasnake321 5 months ago
R.I.P Dave
Piki1809 5 months ago
wait are these underwater caves like .. you dive down.. go into them.. then you can like rise and be in a room cavity full of oxygen??! thats effing crazy. Do you think underwater ships or submarines still have huge pockets of air?
knaxon 6 months ago
how did he die?
BradySayre 6 months ago
Dave lived and died as he wanted to. He didn't let life guide him, he made his own destiny. May he rest in peace.
chriskraska 6 months ago
rest in peace dave, you were one of a kind. In the end he did what he said he was going to do.
DocHolliday1879 6 months ago
just finished reading Raising The Dead, what a book. A must-read for any diver. R.I.P Dave <3
1SavageMiss 6 months ago
Somthing doesn't add up why didn't he just cut the line from himself was he did he have narcosis or what
metelfann3 7 months ago
@metelfann3 because he got the lines caught up and the physical effort he made to free himself caused him to start breathing very heavily and his rebreather couldnt keep up with the ventilation at that depth and pressure. He blacked out and died trying to regain composure and get to the surface, his dive buddy who is narrating this almost died too. He was an amazing diver and very professional. He basically got very overworked and passed out on his way back up. Both bodies floated to the surface
DocHolliday1879 6 months ago
@ OnemanG Couldn't agree more..
Quickitus 7 months ago
The "discussions" that result from a video amaze me. I do wish that the comments would be restricted to the topic of the video.
TheOnemang 7 months ago
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yes DMFD45 but there are good dive story sites with videos etc on the net too. try the myscubastory site. type myscubastory into google and its the first one. enjoy
SuperEasytiger 7 months ago
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zcchristyc2t 8 months ago
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R.I.P, Dave.. As some one who loves diving, the video brought me to tears. I want to borrow this saying ....it's not the years you live that matter, it's the life in the years that matter.
zcchristyc2t 8 months ago
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zcchristyc2t 8 months ago
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zcchristyc2t 8 months ago
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zcchristyc2t 8 months ago
Oh my....very serious stuff compared to what I usually see at youtube.
Beautiful tribute from his wife there at the end.
Perhaps this video showing/explaining his dilemma will help other deep divers avoid that and this will save one or more lives.
RIP David Shaw
suze816 8 months ago 18
To all commenters. He LOST his life trying to retrieve a body that had been there for over two years! Get a life.
Etherglide 8 months ago
@Etherglide As far as I know, the body had been there for 10 years. It was the body of Deon Dreyer, who died preparing a dive for Nuno Gomes in 1994.
Hinkakan 8 months ago
Rest in peace. Strength to the lovedones you left behind.
bdl70 9 months ago
RIP
ryno2085 9 months ago
Well at least he died doing what he loves doing.
Vizzix 9 months ago
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If you start reading thins you CANT stop .Once ther was a little girl named Cecilia.She was a little 7 year old who got strangled and raped by a man =.If you dont post this to 15 other videos you will see CCecilia standing at the end of your bed with a knife and she will kill you You have to do this by midnight or you will be dead
iiSnipeX 9 months ago
yes correct MrCrzy, But there are also good dive stories and videos on the net too! Try the myscubastory site. Type myscubastory into google and its the first one!
seasnake321 9 months ago
This story gives me goosebumps every time I re-read it.
RIP Dave and Deon.
snochicka 9 months ago
Daves friend: hey wheres dave?
Daves other friend: i dont know
Daves friend: SHIT!
marioplayer50 10 months ago 2
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HiGHT87 10 months ago
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It is really such a sad yet inspiring story about a guy who never gave up. May he rest in peace.
Blind9927 10 months ago
It is really such a sad yet inspiring story about a guy who never gave up. May he rest in peace.
Blind9927 10 months ago
No disrespect intended.
But diving is stupid, for this very reason.
I choose to stay in the pool at 8 ft.
TeknikAlity34 10 months ago
@TeknikAlity34 open water/cave/altitude diving Is an amazing experience, yes its dangerous but it's all part of the experience, you prepare well, act sensibly accidents don't happen. but pool diving stil sucks!
uopenvironmentalsoc 10 months ago
R.I.P
xtreem45 11 months ago
Dave & Ann Shaw - the nicest couple I have ever met. I knew him from going to the same church. He was a great guy & loved everyone and would do anything for anyone, which is what eventually took his life - recovering his friends body.
God bless you Ann & kids.
wkmitchell 11 months ago
man im a freediver and a diver.. Im n tears and my heart aches now... RIP
t10parwani 11 months ago
This vid is so sad.. Rest in peace Dave Shaw. You are a Hero.
juicypimp99 11 months ago
omg.. its so sad, go do research about this guy.. its really a nice story, i would do that for a friend!
DieCharlMonster 11 months ago
Rough stuff.
RIP.
MatthewModified 11 months ago
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Kushufy 11 months ago
Every time I watch this I pray he survives, so sad.
ojhawkins1 11 months ago
I guess you only get to die once... And you get to decide if it is for something that is important to you.
(I guess one could also apply this to life as well)
MSklivas 11 months ago
@djrichardson thats just pretentious. the act of you or me going through the army is the same regardless of the reasons or motives.
Ozznize 11 months ago
@Ozznize No, it's not pretentious, it's the truth. When a person is not given a choice in a matter, it is really no big deal if they do it. Is it a big deal when a person goes to primary school? Not particularly.
But a person who joins the military, willing to risk their health, their life, and their happiness for the sake of another, by their OWN DECISION, that is very special. That is a person unlike most.
17thknight 10 months ago
@17thknight Your not very intelligent. maybe you should read the story behind this? Who are you to judge my character by a statement. Speaking before u know the truth speaks worlds about you. He was asked not to retrieve the body of the passed on diver by his mother and father (he had died many yrs earlier), Alot of well accomplished divers shunned them for doing this and even they knew it was more for the glory then anything. Yes a stupid way to die!
cantbuytime 10 months ago
@17thknight you really are a fool if you think that people join the army for the reasons you said. many people who join the u.s. army are in desperate need of cash. this happens a LOT. sure some may join because they are overwhelmingly patriotic and some join because they are gung ho and want to shoot people.
Ozznize 10 months ago
very sad.
jwboll 11 months ago
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What a legend! Anyone that is prepared to go to those extremes for another person and risk their own life is a legend and will always be!!!
Scubaman08 1 year ago
What a legend! Anyone that ios prepared to go to those extremes for another person and risk their own life is a legend and will always be!!!
Scubaman08 1 year ago 2
I know little about diving. What did he die from? Was it expelled Carbon Dioxide from inhaling faster than the tank could produce fresh air? Wouldnt it be like breathing in and out of a palstic bag at some point? I was able to see he was getting confused by hismovements.. Am I accurate or ..? Thanks! I AWLAYS wanted to Dive-BUT I MUST always exceed my Limits. That would mean certain death to me.!!
855h0le 1 year ago
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@855h0le David Shaw used carpet underlay felt as a scrubber in his re breather as he couldn't get hold of a new one. (his supplier was moving premises and had packed them away) His scrubber had been incorrectly and roughly reassembled. He knew he shouldn't have made that dive. He died of ego driven stupidity. Very Sad. He was so narced that when he got his knife out to cut away he couldn't remember why he had the knife in his hand. It is quite clear on the video he took at the time
Loader2k 11 months ago
incredible dive , anyone whos brave enough to dive to those depths to recover a body is a hero ,i take my hat off to you ,may you rest in peace fellow diver
1ricsanti 1 year ago
@uglyfishey: It's senseless to start a discussion with you. How has Berkcam - one of the few credible (!) divers - called your sort of "experts"? Right, arm chair divers. Go and play with your PADI instructor. ;-)
erstabachtzehn 1 year ago
David was nothing less than a "Modern Explorer".
To all the people who have questions or who doubt the "skill-level" of David, there is an excellent book written about his life and specifically this last dive and the dives building up to it. The book is called "Raising the Dead" by Phillip Finch. If you have any interest in this event, the book is a really good place to start.
RIP David.
richardgerstner 1 year ago
Shouldn't he have a buddy diver? I agree with Znaiko why waste time fumbling with a body bag. Was the dead body decomposed? I wonder if he wasn't breathing too deeply but fast then passed out from carbon monoxide? I'm just a new diver and don't know technical diving. Being tangled in line with a dead body at over 250 feet deep alone in a cave sounds like something to get nervous about. I might breath a little quick myself. Brave men sometimes die doing brave things.
kertbert1 1 year ago
wow.i see lots on comment saying lots of shit about the guy.that i was not experience enough.first,its not the year you have been diving,but how many dive you did.and like some said,accident happens.i can only say RIP Dave.a mane who died doing what he loves is a lot of people dream.
whellyboy 1 year ago
I am a diver myself and i respect all Dave`s achievements,but one question i cant answer myself is - Why the hell bodybag??? Can`t just tangle him to the line and pull him out?Its just a dead body !
Znaiko 1 year ago
@Znaiko : There were concerns that the body would "break up" on the way and the bag was to "keep it all together" The body had been there for about 10 years if I remember correctly.
richardgerstner 1 year ago
@richardgerstner yes u r correct the body stayed 10 years at the bottom so the only thing that can "break up" is his diving suit.....Cutting away the cylinders and put the buddy in bodyback is a HELL of a job even at 100meters depth.To question Daves skills and bravery is beyond stupid but i think he somehow wanted the extra attention
Znaiko 1 year ago
How does presure not kill him
CrazyNation13 1 year ago
@mxr73 I See your point. However, a life spent playing it safe can be just as rewarding. You ask not to be judged and yet you past judgment on those how don't need to risk life to see the pure beauty of it.
marcellnight 1 year ago
life it too precious.
those that risk is so freely are due no sympathy.
ballsthatclank 1 year ago
@ballsthatclank Life is precious.....too precious to have it wasted living a "safe" life. I will gladly take chances that other will not. Not because I wish death but because it makes me feel alive. I don't ask for sympathy, I ask for understanding and to not be judged because of the way I lead my life.
mxr73 1 year ago 39
@mxr73 What a great comment!
ParabensPadfoot 9 months ago
@mxr73
fkn hero mate tufffffy
diabhalo 7 months ago
@mxr73 If you allow me to....I'll copy and paste ur comment to a list of quotes I have that I find inspiring....I totally agree with you -.-
anormaluser 6 months ago
@anormaluser Wow! thanks for the flattering comment. Feel free to do what you like.
mxr73 6 months ago
@mxr73 SHIT HAPPENS
maxismax100 5 months ago
@ballsthatclank Sad, but true.
intrusosgang 1 year ago
RIP :(
DannyPhead 1 year ago
He went a happy man and did his duty
SuperCJmax 1 year ago 4
Its always sad for someone to die. But risking his life for the remains of a man that died 10 years earlier.. Just ignorant.
RIP
cantbuytime 1 year ago
@cantbuytime Ignorant how exactly?
mikewtp 1 year ago
@mikewtp If my comment wasnt explanation enough, then i dont know how else to explain it to you. He left family and friends behind to go after 10 year old remains the family didnt even want recovered. To me that is ignorant.
cantbuytime 1 year ago
@cantbuytime I still don't see how lack of knowledge had anything to do with it. Maybe you're conflating ignorance with stupidity. Even then, I don't think he was being stupid. Shit just happens. See uglyfishey's post.
mikewtp 1 year ago
@cantbuytime HE died trying to help a follow diver. It's a matter of honor. That you cannot see this, and instead call such courage "ignorant" is disgusting, but it speaks far more to your complete lack of character than it does about David Shaw.
17thknight 10 months ago 2
@cantbuytime Actually, Deon's family did desperately want his remains recovered. He was only 20 years old, and perished unexpectedly, for reasons unknown, and his mother never felt a sense of closure. Attempts were made to recover the body via an unmanned vehicle immediately after his death, and were unsuccessful. Dave originally discovered the body on an earlier dive to the bottom about 3 months earlier, and couldn't recover it. He felt driven to return for the body. Amazing man. RIP David Shaw
ophilichus 5 months ago
This video is only a fraction of the original reportage, and it does not tell how thi man was, see full story here:
/ watch?v=Gt-PUr8XTtg
facelessbel 1 year ago
This video is only a fraction of the original reportage see full story here:
facelessbel 1 year ago
I've been diving since '86 erstabachtzehn. I have a comment... Do you know any respect? It's not only about education, and experience. How many dives have you logged, or not logged since '87? Would you be man enough to go and find a friends body for the family, risking your life to do so? If not, you have no room to say anything. I don't either, but I know and realize...sociopath
Roboflavin 1 year ago
great book on this tragedy called raising the dead. Amazing what dave achieved and even more amazing what don shirley went through on his ascent from this fateful dive. he is lucky to be alive.
myHemicoupe 1 year ago 2
:( he died. weeeeeeeellllllllllllllllll that sucks by
theriper56 1 year ago
I was a professional diver voor 20+years. Made more than 4500 dives. I have just one Question. Why is this man alone on that depht, were is his standby diver? How experienced are you as a diver when going alone with a rebreather on that depht??? It was oke going alone when he had surface supple trough an umbilical and communications. But you need always a standby diver. Thats way almost al the accidents happen with recreation divers. there ego's are to big. A piece of rope kills him!
PeterBensen 1 year ago 2
@PeterBensen He was not diving alone, he was with his diving buddy Don Shirley and meeting him with the body at a depth of 220m, they had some police divers on the surface (Their limit 20m) and several other experienced divers down the line. He mostly died from CO2 build up. They said the only thing he did wrong was either not switching to his OC or not abandoning the body when his time was up because it was a few minutes after his time was up that he attempted to abandoned the body.
baldwalrus7 1 year ago
@baldwalrus7 why was his buddy at 220m? also why didnt he go down with the same gear he did on the search eg: umbilical, communications etc and thanks for the reply
HopeAndBroke 1 year ago
@HopeAndBroke He didn't search for the body. He discovered it on a dive exploring the bottom of the cave. They said that the caves were so narrow at some points that you had to get your buoyancy correct or your tank would be scratching the top of the cave or you will be in the silt and mud so I guess that's why they were meeting at 220m. He used the same equiptment but instead of having the light around his neck it was around his wrist which got him into a wee bit of trouble (it helped kill him)
baldwalrus7 1 year ago
@baldwalrus7 i see wow that is intense where are you getting your information because id like to read up on this
HopeAndBroke 1 year ago
@baldwalrus7 Yeah, and his scrubber was made from carpet felt!!! Hugh fuck up.
Loader2k 11 months ago
@PeterBensen He had a partner, dude. His partner nearly died as well.
17thknight 10 months ago
World records??? 333 dives??? LOL! So he was an avdanced beginner with a huge amount of money and no idea about risk assessment. However, people who shouldn't dive are being sorted out :-) . Nice video - until now I've never seen an idiot loosing his life while recovering a DEAD body...
erstabachtzehn 1 year ago
@erstabachtzehn I am insulted by your comment because I really respect David Shaw. Shaw had been diving at this site before he discovered Deon's body. It had become a real passion in his life and "people who shouldn't dive" are you, Shaw believed that he could take this body home, and he did. The mother said that seeing and embracing her son had "brought her peace". His acheivements were monumentous, getting all of these qualifications in just 5 years! I'd like to see you try to do what he did!
baldwalrus7 1 year ago
@baldwalrus7
I dive since 1987. I'm still alive. Mister Superstar is dead. Any more comments?
erstabachtzehn 1 year ago
@erstabachtzehn I doubt any of your dives were nearly as complicated as this dive. He died doing what he wanted to do, and if I end up dieing like him I won't feel cheated out of life. He knew exactly what the risk assessment was and asked if he doesn't come out of this dive that his body would be left there. A fitting tomb for a diver.
baldwalrus7 1 year ago
@erstabachtzehn its not in how long you have been diving, but how deep you go. have some respect.
brysonwiilliamsisgay 1 year ago
Comment removed
17thknight 10 months ago
@baldwalrus7 I agree baldwalrus. He was maybe a little too brave to go to that depth with only 5 years experience. I know course directors for PADI that have been diving since the 1960's that wouldn't have done that. Bottom line, brave move. To go that deep is risking life for a life that has already passed. Maybe he should have gradually done this. Insane depth. Maybe other arrangements would have been better. Who Knows, but the point I'm making is anyone who talks smack cannot back it up. Rip
Roboflavin 1 year ago
@erstabachtzehn Guy is clueless
Roboflavin 1 year ago
@erstabachtzehn Clearly you aren't a professional diver and part of the diving community. If you were, you would have more understanding for the guy, rather than insulting his accomplishments and embarrassing his family.
Like I have said to others, hold a few world records, then someone here will respect what you say. In the mean time, you're just some other guy who has no idea what he is talking about.
uglyfishey 1 year ago
sad.
R.I.P
haroldnahmias 1 year ago
Was it NitNarc that killed him??
LokiLasher 1 year ago
@LokiLasher They say that it wasn't the Nitrogen Narcosis that was the cause of his death - he was still in control of all his movements. He died from a build up of CO2 - "once concentration of CO2 starts to build, you cannot will yourself to slow down and breathe more deeply"
baldwalrus7 1 year ago
R.I.P Man..
ravenfaust6669 1 year ago
So sad...
I think he was a dead man walking...
Someone who cared for him would had to stop him...
350 dives are really nothing to manage this kind of difficoulty...
ganciodav 1 year ago
So sad...
I think he was a dead man walking...
Someone who cared for him would had to stop him...
350 dives are really nothing to manage this kind of difficoulty...
ganciodav 1 year ago
you can't see shit!
diving in the sewer system is more interesting and less dangerous!
cay311 1 year ago
He should of grabbed the body and headed back. He could of put the body in the bag later, when he was closer to the surface. Or dump the gear off the body and head back. He spent way too much time dealing with getting the body in the bag.
ToxicFuzion 1 year ago
@ToxicFuzion you are 100% correct, it is hard work for two divers to stuff a big, floppy, floating corpse in a bag - been there and done that. For one guy alone at that depth its impossible, as proven.
ButtsontheBarbie 1 year ago
R.I.P David Shaw
from ireland
aerlingus18 1 year ago
RIP Dave
EagleHawk175 1 year ago
wtf why didnt u give him more oxogen and saftey divers to go with him
emoelmo17173 1 year ago
@emoelmo17173 I know I am replying far too much but they had a lot of cylinders right for the depth (for example 8 percent oxygen for deeper and 16 for much less of a depth) and the deepest sets of cylinders were 150 metres down the line. Don Shirley would had reached him if he had not have had malfuntions with his inspiration and the consequences of getting tangled, and having too heavy of breathing at that depth, would have been so much less. (p.s. oxYgen no oxogen) They had many divers there.
baldwalrus7 1 year ago
RIP dave
xXCREATERXx 1 year ago
RIP my friend
bonesmccoy1 1 year ago
RIP man.
jimhick1 1 year ago
Rest in peace, Dave.
Yeloneck 1 year ago
I don't know how anybody dives at these depths. Given the pressure that deep, just expanding your chest to breathe deeply enough would take conscious effort. Perhaps recovering bodies at these depths should be compared to recovering bodies on Mt. Everest. It's just too difficult and dangerous.
kayper54 1 year ago
Comment removed
Happyascanbe1 1 year ago
Trying not to be hindsight-biased about this, because i don't know the full story on the setup to this recovery operation, BUT couldn't dave have done one more "recon" dive before attempting the recovery? how many times did he asses the ite beforehand? he had been consulted on what state the body would be in, told it would be negatively bouyant. but now we know it was not. should he have known that based on the state of the body's wetsuit?
georgek19 1 year ago
5:53 ... a bit creepy.
1Shiznit 1 year ago
This fucking sucks :( admire him, but this is really sad :( giving his life for a corpse :(
PigLvl3 1 year ago
big mistake.
syeshasucks 1 year ago
Rest in peace fellow diver. Thoughts go out to your family.
soundiscomforting 1 year ago 15
Wow... I never want to dive... Truly a horible death! I would be in shock
AnttiApinaPro 1 year ago
cut up in the line and.......... ???? Stop breathing!!!???? Or they just cut the part of the video when he was trying to free him self!? Dont get it.!
subik333 1 year ago
im a diver and this is mad stuff couldnt help but shed a tear for this guy my heart goes out to the family
97Arran 1 year ago
@97Arran Especially as he was just trying to do a good deed for the sake of another family. :(
kayper54 1 year ago
Why was he diving alone? im only an open water diver but isnt it stupid to go solo on any dive especially one as dangerous as this? also wasn't he using a rebreather howd he run out of air or did i miss something?
HopeAndBroke 1 year ago
@HopeAndBroke No he did not run out of air, when he began to breathe heavily, because of unplanned exertion when the body came free and was unexpectantly positvely buoyant, he got a lot of excess CO2 into his system which causes you to breathe shallower and more rapidly which means less O2 and more CO2 into your system which causes you to breathe shallower and more rapid, which turns into an ongoing circle that inevitably leads to death in a suprisingly short amount of time.
baldwalrus7 1 year ago
I would think that if you have such a hard time with thin rope then you should use a very thick rope and this mite limit the tangle issues. And putting the body in a bag is just not safe at this dept, sorry for your loss. Dept water dives are very dangerous. RIP
James1toknow 1 year ago
I have 230 dives logged and i would not recall myself as an experienced diver, he had 300? hard to understand what was he doing with gear that requires real experience minimum of 1000 dives
TheMichaeldiver 1 year ago
R.I.P.
it appears from his smile that he was a good man....
mohie911 1 year ago
"I couldn't keep him tied down..." I know this is tragic but i just can't ignore the irony of those words, considering that is exactly how he drowned.
15CenterMass 1 year ago
this video is creepy for but we all miss you david ):
greenflamingaxe 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@greenflamingaxe
obviously you missed something in the video...
he's dead, he can't read your comment post.
15CenterMass 1 year ago
Dave Shaw is a legendary hero!!! God Bless Him!!!
chaveritoman 1 year ago
Płyń chłopie w nieznane twoi koledzy pasjonaci będą pamiętać o tobie
mariuszolsztynski 1 year ago
RIP Man
BeauStinsonDotCom 1 year ago
@ all: interesting detailed article in outside magazine (outside.awayDOTCOM/outside/features/200508/dave-shaw-1.html)
@berkcam: de mortibus nihil nisi bene. But you are right: a professional would have abandoned when something unexpected happens, replan and return later. Or used a ROV. Hope, Dave's tragic dead makes it clear, how thin the rope is, you are balancing on at these depths. RIP, Dave.
kongwashere 1 year ago
very honorable...
impleasen 1 year ago
I wonder how a diving family can ever say such things about one another, divers are not normal people, we love what we do, and see it as a challenge, although we should always take precaution. unfortuanatly accidents happen, and it is very sad that families get left behind. but our time is our time, rather die doing something that boils your blood than in a car accident or something more tragic. i must say, it has inspired me,how sad would it have been to keep him in a cage!Fly free David Shaw!!
Eileen1677 1 year ago 2
@Eileen1677
uhm, i'm not a diver and i do things i love all the time, many of them are dangerous to... just because you strap a tank on your back and enter a hostile enviroment doesnt make you special. Quite the opposite, it just makes you NORMAL... you are adventurous, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. you know why david really died? because people cant breath under water... i feel for the family but his decision was stupid and his friends should have stopped him, they are just dodging the guilt.
15CenterMass 1 year ago
He is one of only eight people who have dived below a depth of 240 metres (800 ft) on self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.
How was he inexperienced this guy broked diving world records..
On 28 October 2004 Shaw broke the following records at Bushman's Hole, South Africa
Depth on a rebreather
Depth in a cave on a rebreather
Depth at altitude on a rebreather
Depth running a line
leicro 1 year ago
should have use submProxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0
sible remote-controlled robot instead.
Was he using a rebreather? Maybe it wasn't exactly the best way, expecting there to be hard work recovering a body with%2
soccom8341576 1 year ago
@soccom8341576
he was using a trimix rebreather
mkifyousayso 1 year ago
: (
TheYoSaha 1 year ago
This is why diving in mines freaks me out, even though I've done it and will do it again.
rowejm 1 year ago
"That is Diving" That is so true. Reference from The Book
DanEntertainment 1 year ago
I think cave diving is too dangerous if one values their life, especially for the sake of loved ones.
NiallatUTube 1 year ago
They should have sent me!
SeaFox10 1 year ago
There are limits beyond which we can not go.
roverdive 1 year ago 2
There are limits beyond which we can not go.
roverdive 1 year ago
I am amazed to hear the comments of some who seem to have a limited knowledge of diving. I am a new diver cert in march of 2010 and have only 6 dives and I can understand why he went down why he had trouble and why he died. He went down so fast because every minutes down that deep was an hour doing deco stops added to his time.
There is along list of things that went wrong and why he did not turn around already given. Rest in peace dave your a diver with more honer then most.
timharris6656 1 year ago 10