> The Team

The lead divers

Dr. Reinhard Buchaly
(D)

E-Mail

47 years old. European WKPP member

Primary duties: The push dive!

(Including the push dive in parenthesis:)
Number of dives for the project: 9 (10)
Total dive time: 11:20 hours (28:10 hours)
Number of regulators: 32
Number of tanks: 38
Supply cylinders: 3
Number of Gavin scooters: 8
Number of compressors: 1 (Bauer 100l/min)

Michael Waldbrenner
(D)

E-mail

36 years old. CFO and owner of Waldbrenner AG (hospital information systems), diving since a while, likes wrecks and caves. European WKPP member.

Primary duties: The push dive!

(Including the push dive in parenthesis:)
Number of dives for the project: 14 (15)
Total dive time: 14:21 hours (31:11 hours)
Number of regulators: 22
Number of tanks: 17
Supply cylinders: 3 (2 300 bar 50 L He, 1 300 bar O2)
Number of Gavin scooters: 4

The support divers

Christiane Wieland
(D)

27years old. Instructor for SSI and PADI. Diving since 93

Primary duties: Bringing stuff to the shaft.

Number of dives for the project: 14
Total dive time: 11 hours
Number of regulators: 4
Number of tanks: 4
Number of Gavin scooters: 0 (borrowed)

Dirk Zielinski
(D)

Primary duties:
Number of dives for the project: 10

Total dive time: 700 min.
Number of regulators: 11 (6 stage, 4 main, 1 argon)
Number of tanks: 13
Number of Gavin scooters: 1 (long tube)
Number of compressors: 0
Number of 50 L Tanks: 2 (1 He, 1 O2)

Götz Bräutigam
(D)

37 years old. Purchase Manager. Diving since 1996.

Primary duties: Deep support, depositing stages.

Number of dives for the project: 6
Total dive time: Around 630 minutes
Number of regulators: 13 (10 stage, 2 main, 1 argon)
Number of tanks: 17
Number of Gavin scooters: 2 (long tube)

Harmen Nieuwenhuis
(NL)

25 years old. Management consultant.
Primary duties: Put in one habitat and after it dropped down. Deposited magnum scooters on the bottom of the shaft. Helped Michael and Reinhard get into the habitats. Made the videos. Took out one habitat.

Number of dives for the project: 17
Total dive time: 976 min
Number of regulators: 7 (4 stage, 2 main, 1 argon)
Number of tanks: 12
Number of Gavin scooters: 1 (long tube)

Helmut Pearson
(D)

Primary duties: Deep support, depositing stages.

Number of dives for the project: 6
Total dive time: 618 min.
Number of regulators: 7 (4 stage, 2 main, 1 argon)
Number of tanks: 9
Number of Gavin scooters: 1 (long tube)
Number of compressors: 1 (Bauer 100l/min)

Hervé Deschamps
(F)

32 years old. Software Engineer. Diving since 1995. WKPP Gas Diver.

Primary duties: Video lighting. And testing Peter's equipment :-)

Ian Pinkstone
(GB)

John Grogan
(IRL)

Brus (D)

34 years old. Fastest Gavin scooter of the project – and coolest number plate "D-IR 4".

Primary duties: Spit setting, getting stages to the shaft, deep support scooter at 600 m, getting Reinhard and Michael out of the rebreather and in the habitat, getting stages out of the cave.

Number of dives for the project: 14
Total dive time: 824 min
Number of regulators: 11 ( 8 stage, 2 back gas, 1 argon)
Number of tanks: 12
Buffer tanks: 2
Number of Gavin scooters: 1 (long tube)
Number of compressors: 1 x Bauer Junior II

Paolo Passalaqua
(I)

38 years old. Running own industrial company. Coordinator for DIR Italia.

Primary duties: Depositing stages, UW pictures.

Number of dives for the project: 7
Total dive time: 264 min
Number of regulators: 9
Number of tanks: 13
Number of Gavin scooters: 1 (long tube), 1 (short tube)

Peter Fjelsten
(DK)

28 years old. Postgraduate student (information science). Web designer for the project.

Primary duties: Spit setting, helped with depositing scooters at 600 m, getting Michael and Reinhard out of the habitats after the dive, getting Michael's habitat out of the cave. Hauling stuff out.

Number of dives for the project: 20
Total dive time: 900-1000 minutes
Number of regulators: 7 (4 stage, 2 back gas, 1 argon)
Number of tanks: 17
Number of Gavin scooters: 0 (borrowed)

Ralph Wilhelm
(D)

34 years old. Working for BRENNEKE ammunition company. Diving since 89. 1000 dives.

Primary duties: Setting spits, bringing stuff in and out, delivering food and drinks, underwater pictures.

Number of dives for the project: 12
Total dive time: 709 minutes
Number of regulators: 6 (3 stage, 2 back gas, 1 argon)
Number of tanks: 10
Buffer tanks: 2 (shared with Dirk)
Number of Gavin scooters: 1 (long tube)
Number of compressors: 1 (Mohnsam Mini, shared with Dirk)

Tanja Buchaly
(D)

32 years old.

Primary duties: surface manager during the push dive.

Number of dives for the project: 1
Total dive time: 60 minutes

Thomas Karch
(D)

35 years old. Working in the real estate business. Diving since 1994.

Primary duties: Bringing in and assembling two habitats. Depositing stages.
Setting spits.
Fixing one habitat, after it had collapsed. Helping Michael and Reinhard out of the habitats and "escorting" them out of the cave. Making underwater pictures. Video lighting.

Number of Dives: about 15
Total Dive time: Around 800 minutes
Number of regulators: 10 (2 back gas, 6 stage, 2 argon)
Number of tanks: 19
Number of Gavin scooters: 0 (borrowed).