Florida Father, Son Found Dead in Cave Diving Accident
Darrin Spivey and Dillon Sanchez
Handout photo
A Florida father and his teenage son drowned during a cave dive on Christmas day while trying out new scuba equipment they'd received for the holidays, according to media reports. Neither was a certified cave diver, though the father was an experienced diver.
Darrin Spivey and 15-year-old Dillon Sanchez were last seen alive at the Eagles Nest Sink location in Weeki Wachee on Florida's west coast. Eagle's Nest has both upstream and downstream tunnels with depths reaching 310 feet. It is recommended only for advanced cave divers. Sanchez was not a certified diver; Spivey was a certified diver, but didn't have the separate certification for cave diving.
Fox News says the two were seen by a hunter who saw them suited up Christmas morning. When he returned hours later, he noticed their car was still there.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office sent divers into Eagles Nest on Christmas night and found the son at about 67 feet and the father at 127 feet.
Robert Brooks, an experienced cave diver who knew Spivey and helped recover his body, told the Tampa Bay Times that the lack of experience most likely led to their drownings. "The sad thing is, I told him, 'One night they're going to call me to come get you,' " Brooks told the paper.
Handout photo
A Florida father and his teenage son drowned during a cave dive on Christmas day while trying out new scuba equipment they'd received for the holidays, according to media reports. Neither was a certified cave diver, though the father was an experienced diver.
Darrin Spivey and 15-year-old Dillon Sanchez were last seen alive at the Eagles Nest Sink location in Weeki Wachee on Florida's west coast. Eagle's Nest has both upstream and downstream tunnels with depths reaching 310 feet. It is recommended only for advanced cave divers. Sanchez was not a certified diver; Spivey was a certified diver, but didn't have the separate certification for cave diving.
Fox News says the two were seen by a hunter who saw them suited up Christmas morning. When he returned hours later, he noticed their car was still there.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office sent divers into Eagles Nest on Christmas night and found the son at about 67 feet and the father at 127 feet.
Robert Brooks, an experienced cave diver who knew Spivey and helped recover his body, told the Tampa Bay Times that the lack of experience most likely led to their drownings. "The sad thing is, I told him, 'One night they're going to call me to come get you,' " Brooks told the paper.
