Experienced diver dies in Blue Hole
Man, 43, was part of a team mapping the cave system
An experienced California diver who was helping with the exploration of the narrow underwater passageways that radiate from a well-known swimming hole in eastern New Mexico has died, authorities confirmed Thursday.
The initial investigation suggests that 43-year-old Shane Thompson’s death below the Blue Hole, a tourist destination in Santa Rosa, was an accidental drowning.
Police Chief Jude Gallegos said Thompson was among 10 or so people from the ADM Exploration Foundation who were at Blue Hole for a multiple-day exploration. The group had been working on surveying the underwater cave system since 2013.
Thompson dove into Blue Hole on March 26 with another experienced diver, Mike Young,
Gallegos said. They planned to have Young enter part of the cave system, while Thompson stayed outside in a safety role.
Instead of staying outside, Thompson entered, Gallegos said. “Apparently something went horribly wrong, and he started to panic,” the chief said.
The divers were about 160 feet below the surface when the incident happened.
It was still unclear Thursday what went wrong. It could be weeks before autopsy results are available, the state Office of the Medical Investigator said.
No more exploration is planned of the underwater cave system at Blue Hole, said Curt Bowen, president of the exploration foundation.
“We mapped everything we could fit through, and it ended in a tight rock breakdown at a depth of 194 feet,” he said. In the coming weeks, Bowen said he plans to complete a three-dimensional map to illustrate the entire Blue Hole system.
Because of the extreme environment within the cave system, the city accepted the group’s recommendation that it remain off limits to the public. The divers covered and secured the grate at the bottom of the bell-shaped swimming hole.
Family members said they were struggling with Thompson’s death, but they acknowledged that diving was what he loved to do and that he had earned numerous certifications during his lifetime.
A Navy veteran, Thompson began diving at a young age while growing up in the Florida Keys. He eventually went to work for an underwater construction company and later started numerous diving businesses that focused on everything from boat maintenance to salvage work and training.
In New Mexico, Blue Hole has been an attraction for centuries. Legend has it that outlaw Billy the Kid would take a dip at the swimming hole before heading into Santa Rosa.
The artesian spring pumps out about 3,000 gallons per minute. The steady flow results in crystal clear conditions that have attracted divers from around the world.
The caves had been sealed off since 1976, when two divers in training died after getting separated from classmates. New Mexico State Police divers quickly found one of the bodies, but it took several weeks to find the other.