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The following year, 1974, another cave diving incident. This time, a fatality again in Piccaninnie Ponds, which had now claimed the lives of two cave divers: one in a small offshoot of the main underwater cave, the other at significant depth. Read the accident analysis here: https://www.cavediving.net.au/index.php/history/237-accident-analysis
The next cave diving incident occurred in 1973 when, in the worst cave diving tragedy in the world, four divers out of a party of eight drowned in The Shaft, one of the largest sinkholes known in the Mount Gambier area. Read the accident analysis here: https://www.cavediving.net.au/index.php/history/237-accident-analysis
The third accident analysis is of an incident in 1972 where three divers died on the one dive. They had dived in a small muddy cave, now commonly called the Death Cave, and swam into a side passage without using a guideline. https://www.cavediving.net.au/index.php/history/237-accident-analysis
The second accident analysis of the ten Australian cave diving incidents which led to 17 fatalities between 1969 and 2025 has been published. In this case, one diver died while exploring Piccaninnie Ponds in 1972. https://www.cavediving.net.au/index.php/history/237-accident-analysis
An accident analysis of each of the ten Australian cave diving incidents which led to 17 fatalities between 1969 and 2025 will be released over the coming weeks. The first of these from 1969 in Kilsbys Sinkhole where two divers perished has been published. https://www.cavediving.net.au/index.php/history/237-accident-analysis
Cave divers assist researchers behind a new paper on fossils in underwater caves as they hope it will help reconstruct Australia's, and the world's, prehistory. Divers extracted fossilised bones and teeth from underwater caves around Mount Gambier in the Lower South East of South Australia.
Over 3 kilometres of Elk River Cave have been explored, making it one of the longest caves in Victoria, Australia. At a depth of 135 metres, it is also one of the deepest and among the state’s most important, as its discovery resolved century-old mysteries about the hydrology and geology of the region. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-08/elk-river-cave-explorers-buchan-victoria-odyssey/106696438
Cave divers are using high-tech methods to map underwater caves in Mount Gambier in the lower south east cave region of Australia, with impressive results. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-24/divers-using-photogrammetry-to-map-caves/106935572
The search by cave divers in a flooded mine in Laos for two remaining men, believed to be still missing, continues. Five men have already been rescued. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-31/laos-cave-rescue-search-continues-two-more-divers/106742560
The remaining four trapped men have emerged from the flooded mine in Laos themselves after pumps lowered the water level. It is unclear whether there are another two men trapped in the mine.
Cave divers have rescued the first of five men trapped in a Laos mine. Two other men remain missing. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-30/first-survivor-rescued-from-flooded-laos-cave/106740358
Australian cave diver joins the operation to rescue five villagers located but trapped in a flooded mine in Laos.
Ongoing rescue update https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-27/people-trapped-in-laos-cave-found-alive/106729932
Cave divers are assisting with an operation to rescue seven people trapped in a flooded Laos mine. https://divemagazine.com/scuba-diving-news/thai-cave-rescue-veterans-flooded-laos-cave
A likely explanation of what occurred on the dive that resulted in five cave diving deaths in the Maldives and a debunk of one of the fanciful theories that had been put forward.
The body of a cave diver who went missing in the cave system known as the ‘Devil’s Well’ in Greece has been located after a three-day search and rescue operation. https://divemagazine.com/scuba-diving-news/missing-cave-diver-found-devils-well-cave-system
A medical incident is suspected in the death of cave diver Gary Gibson in Tank Cave in 2025.
A Cave Divers Association of Australia investigation into cave diver Gary Gibson's death in 2025 found his gear was functioning, and he died from unknown causes after becoming separated from his group. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-20/gary-gibson-cave-diver-death-report/106363634
A cave diver has gone missing while diving the Font-Estramar cave system in southern France. https://divemagazine.com/scuba-diving-news/search-ends-for-missing-cave-diver-at-font-estramar
Experienced cave divers will assist police to recover the body of a cave diver who died in Tank Cave in the lower south east of South Australia. The team includes Richard Harris who played a crucial role in the Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand in 2018. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-01/cave-diving-drowning-limestone-coast/106085204 |
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