BRITISH CAVE DIVER ANDREW RICE FOUND DEAD 290FT UNDERWATER AFTER TWO-DAY SEARCH IN FRANCE

British cave diver Andrew Rice, 43, has been found dead nearly 290 feet underwater in a narrow cave system in southern France after a major two-day search operation.

Rice, an experienced technical and rebreather diver from Stroud, Gloucestershire, disappeared on September 18 while exploring the Gouffre de Saint-Sauveur resurgence near the village of Calès in the Lot region.

He had entered the submerged cave system at around 3:30 p.m. with two other divers as part of a larger group of eight experienced British cave divers visiting the area. The two divers who entered with him later returned safely to the surface.

But Rice did not emerge.

Concern was raised at around 8 p.m., prompting French authorities to launch a major underground search involving specialist cave divers, firefighters, gendarmes and members of the French cave-rescue organisation Spéléo Secours Français.

HOPES HE HAD REACHED AN UNDERWATER AIR CHAMBER

Rescuers initially held out hope that Rice might have reached an air-filled chamber deep inside the cave system.

One such chamber, known as La Cloche, was located about 80 metres — roughly 260 feet — below the surface. Teams searched the chamber but found no trace of him.

Authorities believed Rice had been carrying enough breathing gas for approximately eight hours. An additional gas cylinder was also discovered during the search.

As the search continued, rescuers faced increasingly difficult conditions inside the cave.

The passages were extremely narrow, while disturbed clay and sediment reduced underwater visibility, making it difficult for specialist teams to navigate safely through the submerged network.

BODY FOUND DEEP INSIDE THE CAVE

After two days of searching, Rice’s body was located on September 20 inside a flooded gallery approximately 88 metres — about 289 feet — below the surface.

Reports said he had become entangled in the guideline, sometimes known as an “Ariadne’s thread,” which cave divers use to navigate through dark and complex underwater passages and find their way back to the entrance.

His body could not immediately be brought out because of the difficult configuration of the cave and the severely reduced visibility caused by suspended sediment.

By September 23, specialist diving publication DIVE Magazine reported that Rice’s body had been recovered from the cave and taken to the Institut Médico-Légal in Toulouse for an autopsy.

French authorities have not publicly established the exact cause of death.

The local Gramat gendarmerie has been tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HIS 1,000TH DIVE

The tragedy came during what Rice had hoped would be a major milestone in his diving career.

Before the expedition, he had written on social media that he was hoping to complete his 1,000th dive during the trip to France.

On the morning of September 18, just hours before he disappeared, Rice posted that he had completed another equipment “shakedown” dive to practise using a needle valve that had been fitted to his equipment months earlier.

He said he was confident with the equipment and ready for his milestone dive.

There is currently no indication that the equipment modification caused or contributed to his death. The circumstances remain under investigation.

AN EXPERIENCED TECHNICAL DIVER

Rice was regarded by fellow divers as an experienced cave and technical diver.

He had been diving since 2010, initially taking up recreational diving and later working as a dive guide while living overseas. He subsequently moved into technical diving, closed-circuit rebreather diving and underwater cave exploration.

He was a member of the Cave Diving Group and served as deputy training officer at the InDepth Dive Club. His qualifications included PADI Open Water Instructor, BSAC and SAA Dive Leader, as well as cave and rebreather diving qualifications.

In the days before his death, Rice had documented several challenging dives in the French cave system.

One previous exploration had reached approximately 1,130 metres from the cave entrance, at depths of up to around 90 metres.

The Gouffre de Saint-Sauveur is a submerged resurgence of the River Ouysse and is known among experienced cave divers for its complex network of passages and significant depth.

TRIBUTES POUR IN FOR “A LOVELY” DIVER

News of Rice’s death has prompted an outpouring of grief from friends and fellow divers.

One mourner wrote that they were “totally gutted” and said it was difficult to accept that they would never see Rice again.

Another described the incident as rare but devastating and expressed sympathy for everyone involved.

Others simply shared messages of remembrance and condolences, with one writing:

“Sad sad news. RIP and kind thoughts to the rest of his team.”

The diving community has also praised the specialist rescuers who entered the dangerous cave system during the search.

Rice’s death remains under investigation in France, with authorities yet to publicly determine exactly what caused the experienced diver to die deep inside the submerged cave.

For those who knew him, however, the tragedy marked the loss of a highly experienced diver whose final expedition had been intended to celebrate a personal milestone — his 1,000th dive.