British Cave Diver Named Following Tragedy in France

British cave diver Andrew “Andy” Rice has been named as the diver who died while exploring the Gouffre de Saint-Sauveur cave system in south-western France.

The 43-year-old experienced technical and cave diver, from Stroud in Gloucestershire, entered the submerged cave system at Calès on Friday 18 September but failed to return as expected.

A major search operation was launched involving specialist cave-rescue divers, firefighters and gendarmes. After two days of searching, Rice’s body was located on Sunday at a depth of approximately 88 metres.

French authorities said that difficult conditions within the submerged cave system initially prevented his recovery. An investigation has been opened to establish the circumstances surrounding his death.

Rice was an experienced diver and Deputy Training Officer with InDepth Dive Club. In the days before the tragedy, he had shared his excitement about the trip and his hope of reaching a significant personal milestone – his 1,000th dive.

On the morning of his final dive, he indicated that the planned dive would be number 1,000.

Tributes have since been paid by members of the diving community to a highly experienced and well-liked fellow diver.

Our thoughts are with Andy’s family, friends and diving companions at this incredibly difficult time.

Sources: French authorities / AFP / The Independent