John Hopkins
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Appearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
On their second visit to Bushman's in October 2004, with Don acting as his support diver, Dave became only the third person in history to return from the floor of the cave and set a world record for depth on a rebreather in the process.
What nobody could have known was that he would also find D'Andrea's body.
Both Don and Dave naturally assumed they would repeat the dive in the coming days and recover the body.
But things haven't been that simple.
Instead, the last two months have been focused on coordinating and planning one of the most daring body recoveries ever attempted.
The logistics alone are daunting.
It's a massive operation and takes nearly a week to get everything on site, to make final preparations and to perform practice dives.
By the time Don and Dave park up at Bushman's Hole on the morning of January 8, 2005, the place has been transformed.
Tents and vehicles litter the rim of the abyss.
The air thrums with the sound of a generator, and people hunch around campfires.
In addition to support divers and medics, there are police, reporters, a documentary film crew, and a mine rescue team.
There is even a mobile recompression chamber on site, crucial for any diver who may suffer decompression sickness or the bends as they surface.
Scuba gear is scattered on the boulders around the pool near a multitude of gas cylinders piled on the rough ground.
As the world lightens, people pick their way down the rocky slopes and begin preparing for the dive.
On paper, the plan is simple.
Dave will swim down to the bottom of the chamber and place Dion's body into a specially designed silk body bag.
As he ascends, Don will be diving down to meet him at 220 meters, around 720 feet, where he will take possession of the body.
Don will then rise through the water and pass it to the next support diver and so on.
The relay process will continue until the body reaches the surface, thereby freeing up the divers who have been deepest and need to complete the longest decompression stops.
There are some clear rules.