Faces of Death III Page #6

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He says he thinks

they were down somewhere

in the serpentine

tunnel area.

What kind of tanks

was he using?

Do you know about how much

air was still in them?

It was

about half.

We could anticipate one,

maybe two...

Yeah, maybe one more.

I think maybe what we

should do is go in there,

check this tunnel out.

If we don't find him there,

go back here,

look at this one.

If we still don't find him,

come on back here,

maybe go back around

and check these tunnels out,

and this side passage.

Cave diving is perhaps the most

potentially dangerous terrain

a scuba enthusiast

can explore.

There is a rigid set of rules

which must be followed

before one enters

this environment.

No amount of previous

open water experience

can prepare a person

for cave diving.

In this uncommon setting,

the hazards are many.

For example, when diving

in this confined area,

the cave ceiling restricts

direct access to the surface,

so a diver is even more

dependent upon his gear.

If an emergency such as

air failure occurs,

the only exit from the cave

is the way one came in.

Yet many divers unaware

of this logistical problem

fail to plan

for such an emergency.

When presented with this

potentially dangerous situation,

the scuba enthusiast must rely

totally on his dive light.

If the dive light fails,

or a diver's swimming technique

stirs up the cave's silty floor,

disorientation results.

The normal response

is panic,

followed by being trapped

in this underwater labyrinth,

and eventually drowning.

...rescue has been down there

for some time.

We will notify

some more divers,

just have them

on standby.

Joseph Ryan had just received

his diving certification.

He was a novice diver,

and yet had a false sense

of his own skills.

He believed that his

experience was great enough

to compensate

for any emergency.

In theory, he probably

did understand what to do,

but when he became separated

from his diving buddy,

he simply panicked.

At this point, he had

little chance for survival.

As he feared

for his life,

he neglected

to assess the situation,

and in essence, signed

his own death certificate.

To challenge the unknown

and to anticipate

a remarkable discovery

is one of the greatest

lures of cave diving.

Feeling a sense of safety

is an important factor

when one enters

an unfamiliar locale.

Given the sense

of security,

a diver must never

lose perception

of the many inherent

dangers which still exist.

A balance of confidence

and humility must be achieved.

Realizing one's vulnerability

is an important part

of dealing with one's own

fear in any given situation.

If Joseph Ryan

had realized this,

he could have

saved his life.

There's a fine

line between

something being

stressful and challenging,

and far too often

because of a strong ego,

we all tend

to push ourselves.

This is a big boy sport,

you have to make up your mind

about the risk

ahead of time.

Once you get in a situation

where you regret it,

it's too late then.

Some people I think do have

a tendency to push themselves,

and perhaps even so

because some people

might even have

a fear of water itself.

John Ruskin once

described the snake

as a running brook

of horror.

There is little doubt the snake

is indeed a strange creature,

for only their left lung has

survived the evolutionary processes

which have been necessary

to make snakes what they are,

just a long, narrow ribcage

with a head at the end.

Nor do these reptiles have

any antibodies in their blood,

so a tick bite,

if it gets infected,

can kill a highly

venomous snake.

Yet most people fear this

seemingly vulnerable creatre.

Andy Ckolashas worked

with venomous snakes

for over 20years.

During this time, he has

conducted various studies

concerning the behavioural

patterns of rattlesnakes.

Approximately 100 people

die each year

as a result of this creature's

poisonous bite.

Since the rattle

snake's fangs

are not sited

for biting large animals,

when this snake

attacks humans,

it is sally notable

to get in a good bite,

so many people survive

by default.

So when Jerry Davis decided to do some

plumbing on his mother's kitchen sink,

he accidentally discovered

a rattlesnake's nest

while lifting up

the kitchen floorboards.

Before he could react,

he was bitten in the hand

and immediately

went into shock.

Within several seconds,

deadly Eastern Diamondbacks

were moving

about the kitchen.

The sheriff arrived

minutes later with Andy.

Jerry Davis needed

medical help,

but first the snakes

had to be removed.

It was by sheer luck that

this unfortunate incident

happened in

Andy's hometown.

Since the snakes had

surrounded the fallen boy,

Andy had no choice but to

capture the venomous creatures

while they were

still alive.

Equipped with a special

snake stick,

Andy had to measure

his every move.

An Eastern Diamondback

is capable of striking

a distance of two-thirds

its own body length,

so one wrong move

could cost Andy his life.

Keep your eye on

that big one, Deputy,

if you will, please.

Okay.

As the snake moved around

Jerry Davis' unconscious body,

Andy had to

quicken his pace.

Within minutes,

the boy would die

if emergency medical procedures

could not be performed.

It looks like it's trying

to get away from us.

I don't care, let me

get over here real quick.

It looks like

I'm not needed here...

This is the biggest one

right here.

It's a biggy.

Watch yourself.

This is a big

rattlesnake here.

This is probably the one

that bit that guy,

look at the fangs.

How is he?

I'm not feeling

a pulse just yet.

There it is.

Let me go outside and

get a hold of the paramedics.

Alright.

Okay, I'll look in here

for some more snakes.

The timing could

not have been more perfect,

as Andy was capturing

the last rattlesnake,

the paramedic unit

arrived on the scene.

In the United States,

only three percent

of snake bite victims

who have received

anti venom, die.

Since Davis had only been

bitten on the hand once,

the paramedics felt they

could save the boy's life.

As the boy's frantic mother

was consoled by the sheriff,

the professionals performed

their life-saving task.

After viewing an incident

such as this,

it becomes easy

to understand why most people

have a fear

of snakes.

As Mrs. Davis viewed

her son's hand,

she immediately associated

this horrible experience

with every snake she'd

see from that moment on.

Fortunately for her son,

the wound looked far

worse than it actually was.

A few days later, he

was released from the hospital

with a clean

bill of health.

A bad experience

such as the one Jerry Davis

and his family underwent

can sometimes resolve itself

with a strong

psychological fear.

There was fright,

there was pain,

then momentary panic,

and even the fleeting

thought of death.

Although these emotions

may have been warranted,

the situation

was resolved.

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