The plura caves disaster - Horrifying last moments of cave divers
On 6 February 2014, two divers cut a triangular hole in the ice at Plura, and, encased in waterproof dry suits and diving equipment, slipped into the water. Two hours later, after the sediment raised by the first divers had been allowed to settle, three of their friends followed behind.
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It was the Plura cave and goal was to enter from the Plura entrance and exit the cave from the Steinugleflaget which was around 2036 meters of total distance.
The five divers were,
Kai Känkänen, a 46-year-old electrical contractor;
Patrik Grönqvist, a 42-year-old fireman;
Jari Huotarinen, a 40-year-old production manager;
Vesa Rantanen, a 33-year-old electrical designer; and
Jari Uusimäki, a 34-year-old mechanical engineer.
Känkänen had originally planned the trip for January but had to re-schedule it because many had prior commitments. Ultimately, it was by sheer coincidence that exactly these five men were there.
And where this coincidence can take them, it was yet to come.
It was -3 degrees Celsius outside on the morning of 6 February. The sun did not break above the fells until nine in the morning. There would be no more than seven hours of daylight, but the day would be bright.
Grönqvist and Huotarinen have taken the task of cutting a hole in the ice with a chainsaw.
There was snow aplenty everywhere. The northern sun shone low.
The water was indeed remarkably clear in the hole that they were able to dug. The thick ice glimmered like a turquoise crystal.
The plan was simple,
First team will start to make a hole at the Plura start site, while the second team will transport the change of clothes and gear to Steinugleflåget. The second team will then return to the Plura start site and help the first team begin their dive.
Huotarinen and Grönqvist were preparing to take off below the ice as Uusimäki and Kai Känkänen arrived. Vesa Rantanen had returned to the Jordbru farm to fetch his dry suit.
Uusimäki peered into the hole, at the black fins of Grönqvist. “The water's really clear,” (he said, smilingly)
Känkänen, “Patte and Jari Huotarinen about to take off towards Steinugleflåget. They'll rest in the water for a while.”
Grönqvist and Huotarinen proceeded toward the entrance to the cave.
It was past midday on Thursday, 6 February.
At a depth of 130 metres, Grönqvist showed Huotarinen the deepest point of the cave.
From there the passage began to ascend. At one point, it makes a 90-degree turn right while continuing to ascend.
Grönqvist went first, but having made it through he realised the light of Huotarinen was nowhere to be seen.
He turned around and waited.
Then Grönqvist saw Jari waving his light up and down, indicating distress.
“Patte, come here!'” (Huotarinen screamed)
Huotarinen asked Grönqvist to detach one of his large bailout cylinders.
He swam back down the narrow passage to Huotarinen and moved the bailout cylinder.
Grönqvist noticed that the line of his scooter was stuck under a big rock.
“Your scooter is stuck” (shouted Grönqvist)
Jari tried to yank it free by force and that was the end of that scooter.
After the scooter came off, Grönqvist moved out of the way.
They were 111 metres below the surface.
Huotarinen was calling for Patrik Grönqvist in the Plura cave.
(Huotarinen shouted) “give me the OC, the open-circuit bailout gas.”
He handed him the mouthpiece from his cylinder.
Jari took around ten breaths and then switched back to the rebreather.
It was repeated two or three times.
After noticing that Huotarinen had nothing in his mouth, Grönqvist placed a diving regulator over his mouth and pressed the purge button.
Huotarinen inhaled water.
It was all over.
Grönqvist grasped at a rock on the wall and tried to pull himself together.
He realised that he was breathing fast, but had to calm down.
His dive computer indicated that he had to remain in the two-degree water for 7 hours before ascending safely to the surface to avoid fatal decompression sickness.
Moments before the accident, the reading had been 120 minutes.
How long had he stayed there? 15 minutes? 20 minutes?
Every minute spent at a depth of 110 metres and pressure of 12 bars adds over 10 minutes to the duration of the dive.
He could no longer swim back to tell the others what had happened. The way was also blocked.
He was horrified and decided to swim towards Steinugleflåget.
He was thinking, what would happen when Känkänen, Rantanen and Uusimäki will discover Huotarinen’s body in two hours’ time.
Grönqvist was afraid they would all die.
Unaware of the accident, Känkänen, Rantanen and Uusimäki began the dive.
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