Fatal Depths

This episode of the MrBallen Podcast delves into three harrowing stories of underwater divers who faced unforeseen and deadly challenges beneath the surface. From treacherous currents to claustrophobic cave systems and the perils of DIY diving equipment, these accounts highlight the extreme risks involved in exploring the deep.

The French Pass: A Whirlpool's Deadly Embrace

The first story, "The French Pass," takes us to the northern end of New Zealand's South Island, a chaotic region of bays and sounds. Within this intricate coastline lies a narrow stretch of water known as the French Pass, which harbors a deadly secret. In 1827, French Admiral Jules Dumont d'Urville, while mapping the coastline, instructed his navigator to enter the pass. As his crew navigated the narrowest section, they lost control of their ship, spun, and eventually hit rocks. Luckily, they came to rest on a nearby reef, preventing them from sinking. Following this incident, d'Urville warned against entering the French Pass unless in an emergency, as it is home to some of the world's most deadly whirlpools. These whirlpools, similar to swirling water going down a drain but on a much larger scale, are particularly dangerous when the tides are actively changing, creating a powerful current that rips through the waterway. During high, low, or slack tide, the current slows dramatically, and the whirlpools vanish. Today, mariners navigate the pass only during these calmer periods.

However, the risks escalate dramatically for scuba divers. If a diver misjudges the tides and gets caught in a whirlpool, they won't just be dragged over rocks; they'll be pulled straight down to the bottom, funneled into ultra-deep holes that line the sea floor. The deepest of these, Jacob's Hole, plunges over 100 meters. On March 10, 2000, seven experienced divers, six students and one instructor, embarked on their fifth week of a divemaster course in the French Pass. Their task was a drift dive, where they would go with the current. Tethered to a 30-meter line with handholds, they planned to enter the pass at high tide, ride the slow current, and avoid the whirlpools. However, the lead instructor had miscalculated the tides; it was changing from high to low tide, meaning a six-knot current was ripping through the waterway. For reference, any current above three knots is physically impossible to swim out of. All seven divers were pulled directly into the worst whirlpool, which sat over Jacob's Hole, and were pinned 100 meters down. Six divers eventually surfaced, four shaken but alive (including the instructor), but two, 40-year-old Ricky McDonald and 33-year-old Narelle Taporo, had drowned. The seventh diver, 21-year-old David Welsh, was never found, leading some to believe he may still be trapped at the bottom of Jacob's Hole. The lead instructor and the dive shop were charged with negligence and fined. Today, it is up to each diver to ensure they never enter the pass when the tides are changing.