An ROV can't get anywhere that a good sidemount diver can, & with diver help it go no where near the tight bedding plane. He faked his death and disappeared. The problem is, as with many of the facts in this case, these two points can also be raised to "prove" that he has pulled off a very clever hoax. Warning, it's a very sad story. The people running the cave at this time were at least somewhat suspect. But Tim’s parents were not satisfied. Another Diver from Australia said that she found what she believes to be Ben’s shovel farther into the caves, in an area farther than any of the other divers went. Two days later, when dive shop employees noticed that Ben’s truck was still parked they notified the authorities. It is a solution tube, basically a tunnel of rock, no side routes. Side Note:  On April 1, 2012, Marson Ashly Kay with Karst Underwater Research who searched for McDaniel and said he saw scratches deep in the cave died, after during his ascent, he became disoriented and got stuck in an opening that was too small for him to swim through. Past the gate there are no offshoots. Eduardo and the one other person he was with leave, leaving Ben alone in the spring. No diver has pushed farther than Sorenson in there, & he saw no disturbance (but left marks on his way in/out). Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. After blasting there would be no way to search, no way to move boulders, and remember it is so deep that we breathe special helium/nitrogen/oxygen mixes to avoid narcosis at that depth… and our time that deep is limited to minutes and we rack up huge decompression stop obligations the more time we spend at depth. They will simply tell them that you're alive and well but don't wish to have any contact with them. The support divers had to guide it and the umbilical got caught on every bend and turn. Unless, of course, he was giving his parents a way to grieve for his absence, without having to admit that he was a less than perfect young man. So not to close the diving down for days or weeks with investigations etc. The cave narrows down to inches. He drowned in the furthest reaches of the cave. I know that K-9 dogs were brought out to search for Ben and they picked up his scent at the water's edge, but I am bothered that so much time was spent looking INSIDE the Vortex and not enough time was spent OUTSIDE of it looking at the entire property. Sorenson believes if Ben had gone there, there would be marks on the limestone where his helmet or tanks scraped the cave ceiling. Lastly, there would be signs from nature, increased activity from aquatic scavengers, and Ed saw nothing. Ben McDaniel is alive and well. So unfair. Last month, 43-year-old Larry Higginbotham drowned inside the cave at Vortex Spring where McDaniel was last seen. I completely agree with your idea. I guarantee it will remain anonymous. Sorenson, who has been described as being able to go where other divers cannot, persisted. A message from Ben’s dad, Shelby posted on Facebook in 2012:  “Ben, next month, August 18 you will have been missing two years. It's been way too long for them to not have answers and peace. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the UnresolvedMysteries community, Continue browsing in r/UnresolvedMysteries. And Ben's body was not found nor was any sign of him even after searches soon after he went missing. In cave diving you can't just go up if you have a problem. How did they not notice his truck onthe thursday, if Ben and his truck were well known to these employees?? That, along with a failed marriage and the recent death of his brother, made people wonder if he may have gone missing on purpose. I will one day go look for him myself. So far, these ideas have not yet been explored. its not your fault for not understanding, I'm just trying to help you understand the terrain. Shame on you! Moving a body seems like it wouldn't be past them at all. Search teams found 3-labeled decompression tanks with McDaniel’s name on them, and a few articles of clothing near the entrance of the cave. Normally, because cave diving is so dangerous, it's logical to think that he experienced an unfortunate accident while diving. It goes to a T, one end peters out straight and the main cave descends down at an angle. But Tim’s parents were not satisfied. Nous avons appris que les appels de propositions pour ce programme ont été retardés. Could the letter have been a way of saying goodbye? Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/16/2752048/family-of-missing-cave-diver-rescinds.html#storylink=cpy. There has been interesting suggestions about also using technology to detect the metal of tanks. The man who composed the music for the film (Ben’s Vortex), Xavier Fleuranceau, died while scuba diving on September 29, 2012. It seems more than likely that he perished in the caves due to diving inexperience. http://media1.faz.net/ppmedia/aktuell/technik-motor/539212339/1.821819/article_multimedia_overview/in-der-pechschwarzen.jpg, New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the UnresolvedMysteries community, Continue browsing in r/UnresolvedMysteries. There have been a lot of improvements recently in the size and maneuverability of underwater ROVs, which include cables with buoyancy, to offset their weight. Your testimonies are awesome! Your theory takes a tight small tunnel and fills it with unstable rock. Eerily enough, just two years after Ben disappeared, another diver named Larry Higginbotham drowned in the Vortex Spring caves in the same area Ben was believed to have gone. He slipped beneath the clear waters of Vortex Spring, with one goal in mind: to make a name for himself in the extreme world of cave diving. I believe your son found something great and maybe an alternative route, and in order to not shut the cave down for digging and search and maybe for the danger that it is collapsing, they are keeping it a secret. Despite what other divers have told, the shovel was no where near the end. www2.parl.gc.ca. Yes, sources on the sketchy dive shop guys, plz, Link to a Facebook page about a film about this: https://www.facebook.com/BensVortex, Link to the location (and underground cave) he went missing from: http://www.vortexspring.com/. air can only take you around 30-40 metres safely and the gate is around 90metres. But! What bothered the investigators is that there were no signs from nature that Ben’s body was in the cave. Original Story:  Ben McDaniel, 30, from Collierville, Tennessee was last seen at Vortex Springs near Ponce de Leon in Florida preparing to dive about 7:00 p.m. on August 18, 2010. Was it normal for employees of the dive shop to leave, in the evening, knowing someone was still in the cave? Think 1950's canister vac size tethered to surface controls, power, & video feed by an unwieldy umbilical. Diving to a depth of 310' is accomplished after becoming experienced diving at that dangerous depth.The key to the gate protecting divers from the cave is not issued without divers being properly prepared. Perhaps they do so to keep respect for the son. Carty believed that the authorities should be investigating the case as a homicide. Have some compassion for this family. Did anyone think to blast the cave and then go down to search the rubble? Ben, you're probably not reading this, but in the 1 in 10,000,000 chance that you are, please contact the authorities and simply tell them that you're alive and don't wish to be found. There's another thread on this sub about his story, just search his name. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. He is living in Albuquerque, NM working in construction.. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Millstones and a plowshare have been found in tunnels, but this is very uncommon. After many searches they came to the conclusion that Ben was not in the cave. Search teams found 3-labeled decompression tanks with McDaniel’s name on them, and a few articles of clothing near the entrance of the cave. aedh.eu. Somebody had to have noticed something? www2.parl.gc.ca. He died in the water and his body was removed by employees of Vortex Spring. First, may I say to the family how sorry I am for their loss. I still think this poor man died in those caves, but thought people might to know this little extra info as well. They believed he must be deeper into the cave and offered money for someone to dive deeper to find him. This does makes sense!! This wasn't a situation where there were many offshoots for a body to go. But in the mean time good luck to the McDaniel family and im sorry for your loss. Sorry for her loss. Does anybody happen to know what the gate was like the day after he went missing? In the documentary they said the head diver was hesitant about telling them he let Ben through the gate. I came away with the feeling, after watching Ben's Vortex, that his well-meaning parents sent out clear signals to their sons that the sons needed to be near-perfect individuals, in order to retain their parents love. There would also be marks in the clay bottom because he would have taken his tanks and swum with one extended in front of his head. And each time it becomes sadder than the last. To see this page as it is meant to appear, please enable your Javascript! However, not only did skilled and experienced divers search the cave and not find any evidence (no body, no gear, no scratches on the cave walls or floor, no increased scavenger activity), one of the recovered oxygen canisters was only half full. On January 3, 1994, 22-year-old Imelda Keenan told her boyfriend that she was going to the post office. So Wed night, Eduardo unlocks the gate for Ben. These are my 4 theories as to what happened to Ben. I don't think he's in the cave, but I don't think he's alive. That is an awesome theory. Sorenson believes if Ben had gone there, there would be marks on the limestone where his helmet or tanks scraped the cave ceiling. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Sorenson, who has been described as being able to go where other divers cannot, persisted. We have done everything within our power and might to find your remains so we can bring you home to bury over your brother Paul. And maybe the dude that loaned Ben the key to get into the cave felt he would be punished or fired. Hence, Ben beginning a dive at 7pm is faulty info. If Ben drowned in the Vortex, accidentally, and the employees covered it up, and CARRIED his body out of there, the dogs would lose his scent. About 300 feet into the cave, the tunnel is sealed by a gate and divers must show the proper certification at the dive shop to get the key.