
BROOKSVILLE, FL- Rescuers in Hernando County recovered the bodies of two divers from Buford Spring in the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area on Wednesday.
The spring is located about 60 miles north of Tampa.
One of the bodies was found on the surface and the other was recovered by sheriff’s office divers 140 feet below the surface.
Officials say the two divers arrived at the spring at around 11:00 AM where three teenage witnesses saw them enter the water.
The teens say the divers resurfaced and talked about investigating a submerged cave before descending again.
They also reportedly discussed whether they had enough air in their tanks with one of them even mentioning the possibility of leak in their tank, according to one of the witnesses.
Some time later, one of the divers reappeared face down in the water at which point the teens called 911.
Investigators say the pair had the correct equipment for diving but it’s not clear if any of it malfunctioned and led to their deaths.
Autopsies will be performed on the bodies.
2 divers were killed in another Hernando County diving cave called the Eagle’s Nest in 2016, making them the 11th and 12th people to die there since 1981.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the most common cause of death for cave divers is asphyxia due to running out of breathing gas.