A distraught woman recounted today how she asked friends on Christmas
Day "if I should be worried" when her fiancée and his teenage son did
not return from a dive in a notoriously dangerous area of underwater
caves in Florida.
Her fears came true when the bodies of Darrin Spivey, 35, and his son,
Dillon Sanchez, 15, were recovered from an underwater cave in an area
known as Eagle Nest Sink in northwestern Hernando County on Wednesday
night.
Friends told the Sheriff's Office that Spivey was a certified diver, but
was not certified to cave dive while Sanchez was not certified to dive
at all.
Spivey's fiancée, who asked to remain anonymous, told ABC News that she
is still trying to process everything that has happened. She said she
called 911 after numerous attempts to reach the pair. As the day went on
with no word from Spivey, "I called friends and family that were more
experienced to ask if I should be worried, and then I made the call."
She reported to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office that the two took
out some new diving equipment that Sanchez received for Christmas to
test out at Eagle Nest Sink.
A hunter told authorities he saw the father-son duo suited up and ready
to go at 11 a.m., but when he returned at 6:30 p.m., he only saw their
car, no divers in sight, according to the police report.
Eagle Nest Sink is a large underwater cave system located near Weeki
Wachee, D., in the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area. Better known
as the Lost Sink and revered as the "Grand Canyon" of the diving world,
it is notoriously dangerous, but still draws divers from around the
world.
According to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, a certified
underwater emergency recovery diver, Eric Deister, started searching at
8:30 p.m. Deister first found Sanchez inside a cave at 67 feet. After
enlisting the help of two other divers, Robert Brooks and Matthew
Vinzant, the three were able to locate Spivey at 127 feet.
The Medical Examiner took custody of the bodies, and will determine the exact cause of death.
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