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Satellite view of Haigh Quarry.
Kankakee County Sheriff responded and Bradley Fire Department responded about 1:15 p.m. Saturday to a report of a missing diver at Haigh Quarry. Kenneth G. Uhl, 16, a junior at Buffalo Grove High School, died Saturday after he was found separated from a group of scuba divers on a Boy Scout scuba diving event at Haigh Quarry. Ken did not surface after two previously successful dives. He was pronounced dead at Provena St. Mary’s Hospital in Kankakee.
Uhl’s scuba gear did not appear to have malfunctioned at initial check. Ken Uhl also was not known to have a significant medical history. Results of an autopsy have not been released.
All divers at the event had at least the minimum certification for diving at the event.
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Regional area map of Haigh Quarry.
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haighquarry.com
Being certified dos not really mean a thing–it only says that you were tested as to your equipment in an open water enviroment instead of a pool–I do not know how experienced of a dive he was but I do know that he was with a group of divers and should have had a diving buddy with him—this whole thing sits squarely on the shoulders of the group leader and whoever was this boys diving buddy–Thruout the whole processes of certification it is stressed over and over again that you do NOT dive without a buddy and both the diver and his buddy are to take care of each other and keep each other in view–its an unfortunate thing to have happened but it was avoidable if the rules would have been followed
True. Being “certified” doesn’t mean a lot. But it does mean that you have had the training necessary to operate the gear/process and continue on to more advanced training. To put the blame on ANYBODIES shoulders is absolutely wrong. It was not the leader’s fault and it was not his buddy’s fault. It was an accident; maybe avoidable and maybe not. They still don’t know.
I feel for the scouts that were diving with him and the leader who volunteers his/her time to work with the youth.
It’s a damn shame, bright kid who I’ve seen in the hallways. The school is really mourning this loss.
KEN I MISS YOU SO MUCH BUDDY YOU ALWAYS MADE ME LAUGH =) LOVE YOU
Although they all were certified does not mean that each individual is responsible for their dive buddy’s safety. Divers should dive with a dive buddy, but this is not always the case in real life. If your dive buddy distances him/her self from you, than you are diving solo. All divers should have a dive buddy at all times, however, each diver is ultimately responsible for their own safety. Let’s stop placing the blame on everyone else. When an individual is certified, that individual is trained to always dive with another person. If that diver fails to adhere to their training, than that diver is increasing their risks of a diving accident. It is always good to have an additional separate air supply (30) Cft, to ensure that if something goes wrong with their primary air supply, they have a back up just in case.