UPDATE Monday, Jan. 9, 2017 12:02PM-
At 1:30PM on Jan. 8, 2017, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office received a report about an unresponsive diver in the water at Eagle’s Nest Dive Area, a vast underwater cavern system in the middle of the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area.
Evan May, who wasn’t able to dive with his three friends due to equipment failure, found one of his buddies floating at the surface after returning from his vehicle to pack up his equipment. He called the Sheriff’s Office to notify them and jumped in the water to attempt to rescue his friend, Charles Odom. Odom was pronounced dead with the arrival of fire rescue.
The other two divers were Kevin Lura and Christopher Jones. Lura told investigators that all three of them had explored the area of the cavern called the “ballroom.” Odom was leading them out, when he began to seem distressed.
When the divers reached 100 feet, Odom went limp. The two divers then sent Odom to the surface, while they stayed to decompress and then ascended slowly.
Odom’s next of kin was notified late last night.
An autopsy will be performed and investigators will be inspecting Odom’s equipment.
Odom was the 11th diver to die at Eagle’s Nest. Barely three months ago, two experienced cave divers from Ft. Lauderdale, Patrick Peacock and Chris Rittenmeyer lost their lives at dive spot considered to be “The Mount Everest of Cave Diving.”
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Around 2PM on Jan. 8, 2017, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office received a report about a possible drowning at Eagle’s Nest. The Eagle’s Nest Dive Area is a vast underwater cavern system in the middle of the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area.
Units spent the afternoon investigating at the scene and confirmed that a male had drowned. The individual’s identity has not been released yet, but the next of kin were notified late last night.
Barely three months ago, two experienced cave divers from Ft. Lauderdale, Patrick Peacock and Chris Rittenmeyer lost their lives at Eagle’s Nest. The deaths of Peacock and Rittenmeyer, were number 9 and10 at the dive location considered to be the “Mount Everest of cave diving.”