Diver's harrowing death trapped in one of world's deepest caves while on rescue mission; A man lost his life in 2005 attempting to recover the body of 20-year-old fellow diver who vanished a decade earlier.
Byline: By, Maria Leticia GomesBushman's Hole, a seemingly unassuming cave in the South African Kalahari, holds a remarkable secret. It's one of the world's deepest freshwater cave systems, attracting seasoned cave divers eager to conquer its depths.
This title lures in the elite of professional divers, all vying to smash records or at least tackle the daunting depth of over 1,500 metres. The record for the deepest dive into Bushman's Hole is held by Nuno Gomes, who in 1996 plunged an impressive 282.6 metres deep -yet this only revealed 18.8% of the cavern's secrets.
In 2005, the cave was the site of a double tragedy. Veteran diver Dave Shaw reached the cave floor in roughly 11 minutes during a visit. There, he stumbled upon the body of young diver Deon Dreyer, who had disappeared while diving there 10 years prior, reports the Express. Dreyer's remains, now entangled in debris, had been deemed irretrievable by experts. However, Shaw saw an opportunity to finally reunite the young man with his family.
He briefly attempted to free the remains but quickly realised that a meticulously planned recovery mission was necessary. Over the following year, Shaw assembled a plan with a support team led by fellow deep-diver Don Shirley. Every detail was considered, from the gases they would carry to the lighting needed and emergency procedures. The day finally came, and Shaw, equipped with a head-mounted camera and the support of his team, ventured into the depths of the cave. Upon locating Dreyer's remains once more, he promptly began to secure them in a recovery bag he had brought along.
However, what the team hadn't foreseen was the transformation the body had undergone over time. After years submerged underwater, it had turned into adipocere -a waxy, buoyant substance that easily disintegrated. As Shaw attempted to lift it, the body floated freely underwater, resisting his efforts to place it in the bag.
In the ensuing struggle, Shaw's gear became entangled with the bag, prompting him to let go of the light he was holding so he could use both hands. Twenty minutes later, the prolonged underwater exertion began to take its toll on Shaw, causing cognitive impairment and making his equipment less accessible.
His friend Shirley then made his descent towards their prearranged meeting point, situated halfway down Dreyer's original depth. He spotted Shaw's light far below him, but it was eerily still. After encountering a technical glitch with his own equipment, Shirley was hit with the chilling realisation that any rescue attempt at that point would likely lead to another tragedy. With a heavy heart, he decided to ascend back up.
Subsequent support divers plunged into the depths at their scheduled times, but found no signs of activity at Shaw's depth. Hours afterwards, Dreyer's relatives -who had arrived at the location that morning to witness the retrieval of their loved one's remains -were told that the cave had tragically claimed yet another life.
Several days passed before the gas alterations caused both bodies to float to a suitable depth, allowing them to be retrieved simultaneously. Experts concluded that Shaw perished from breathing complications brought on by the extreme pressure. Following the incident, Shirley was left with lasting hearing impairment.
The complete tale has been chronicled in numerous documentary productions -including the 2020 film Dave Not Coming Back -publications, and even a musical tribute by Australian group We Lost the Sea entitled The Last Dive of David Shaw. In the documentary To Boldly Go, Shaw's wife Anna reflected: "Some people would think that what David was doing was dangerous, but I feel that if there weren't people like David, then we'd still be driving around in horse and carts".
"We wouldn't have gone to the moon, we wouldn't have climbed Mount Everest, we wouldn't have had planes to fly if there hadn't been people willing to go beyond the boundaries of human achievement. I wouldn't have changed David for anything, so I couldn't be cross at what he was doing because it was all part of him, and he was the one that I loved."
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Credit: Australian Story's To Boldly Go (2005)
Dave Shaw set out on a mission to recover the body of a fellow diver
Credit: Creative Commons
Dave Shaw broke multiple cave diving records
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| Title Annotation: | Weird News |
|---|---|
| Author: | By, Maria Leticia Gomes |
| Publication: | Daily Mirror (London, England) |
| Date: | Dec 18, 2025 |
| Words: | 714 |
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