Victorian diver who died at Tank Cave near Tantanoola in SA’s South-East identified as Gary Gibson
An experienced diver who perished in mazelike caves in the state’s South-East after he was unable to fit through a small gap has been identified.
A man who died while diving in Tank Cave in the state’s South-East has been identified as a loving husband who was well versed in the dangerous waters in which he perished.
Gary Gibson, 65, was diving with two friends at Tank Cave, near Tantanoola, on Sunday when he realised he wasn’t going to be able to fit through a gap.
He turned back but never made it to the surface.
The dark-humoured Victorian man was a loving husband who was well known among the cave diving community in Australia.
He has been remembered as a “very energetic chap” and “very funny” by Cave Diver’s Association of Australia national director Grant Pearce.
“He was a very solid diver,” Mr Pearce said.
“He had quite a lot of experience diving here.
“It was quite a shock to hear that Gary wasn’t coming back. Our thoughts immediately went to Gary’s wife.”
Mr Pearce said Mr Gibson’s wife was the first to know of all updates in the mission to retrieve his body from Tank Cave.
“She’s an amazing lady, very strong,” Mr Pearce said.
Mr Pearce, who has been a cave diver himself for over four decades, said Mr Gibson was well experienced in diving Tank Cave, and the route he was on where he sadly died.
A team of 10 divers from the Cave Diver’s Association of Australia – including Dr Richard Harris who made global headlines with his heroics during the Thai cave rescue in 2018 – joined SA Police Water Operations personnel on Monday to retrieve Mr Gibson’s body.
Mr Gibson’s body was found just 50m away from where he left the two diving mates in his party.
The experienced and certified group had arranged a rendezvous point nearby if one of the party wasn’t able to continue, or was lost, but the 65-year-old never made it.
Mr Pearce said he’d been involved in four separate rescue missions at Tank Cave in his 42-year diving career – though only one of those was rescued alive.
He said while cave diving was something the general public would most often hate, it was a feeling like no other and could be quite “meditative” and relaxing.
“There’s nothing that gets you to focus quite like cave diving,” he said.
Despite the risks, Mr Pearce said divers needed proper accreditation to dive in certain caves and to obtain the required safety training.
“There’s no hole in the ground worth dying for,” he said.
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Originally published as Victorian diver who died at Tank Cave near Tantanoola in SA’s South-East identified as Gary Gibson
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