Death in the Devil’s System: Mike Schultz’s Final Dive at Ginnie Springs

Incident location (country, town/city/region, cave name)	Diver full name (deceased)
United States, Ginnie Springs near High Springs (Florida), Devil’s System	Mike Schultz

It was April 3, 2016.
The water at Ginnie Springs, Florida, was calm and clear, its surface hiding one of the most famous — and dangerous — underwater cave systems in the world: The Devil’s System.

Mike Schultz, 61, from Ohio, was no beginner. He was a highly trained diver, certified to use an Optima Rebreather — a complex system that recycles breathing gas. On this day, he wasn’t alone. His dive buddy was right there with him, both geared up and ready.

Their diving gear was pristine: rebreathers checked, diving masks sealed, diving suits snug, and diving computers ready to track every second. They had even brought Dive Propulsion Vehicles — underwater scooters — to speed their journey through the dark maze.

“We go in, we see Sweet Surprise, we get out,” Mike had said before the dive.

The Descent into the Devil’s System

The entrance to the Devil’s System is wide, inviting, but the light fades quickly.
The scooters roared softly underwater, pulling the divers into the tunnel.

The cave walls closed in around them, covered in pale limestone. Their diving lights carved narrow beams through the blackness. The sound of the rebreathers — a steady, quiet breath — filled their heads.

They traveled about 2,150 feet into the cave before stopping. This was where the plan called for them to leave the scooters behind.

The buddy unclipped his scooter, securing it carefully so it would be there for the return. Mike did the same. With a nod, they switched to swimming.

Swimming to Sweet Surprise

The next stage was slower, more careful. The passage twisted and narrowed in places. Fine silt drifted up when their fins touched the bottom, clouding the water.

Their diving computers ticked forward, measuring depth, time, and pressure. The diving tanks stayed full thanks to the rebreather, but the cave was still a dangerous place — too far from the surface for any quick escape.

Finally, they reached it: an area called Sweet Surprise, about 3,100 feet from the entrance. The water here shimmered under their lights, revealing smooth rock formations and hidden nooks. They hovered for a moment, taking it in.

Then, just as planned, they turned the dive.

The Return to the Scooters

Mike followed closely behind his buddy, swimming back through the winding tunnel. The familiarity of the route didn’t make it feel any less eerie.

The shadows seemed thicker now. The sound of water moving past their diving masks felt louder.

Their scooters were waiting where they’d left them. All they had to do was strap back in and begin the long, fast ride toward daylight.

As they began the long exit from the Devil’s System, Mike Schultz’s buddy noticed more than just slow movements — something was wrong.

Mike struggled with simple, routine skills that should have been second nature to a diver of his experience. His diving computer still ticked away, but his hands were shaky, and his kicks were weak.

“I can’t manage the scooter,” Mike signaled, pointing at the Dive Propulsion Vehicle. He motioned that he wanted to swim out instead.

But when he tried to swim, his body didn’t respond the way it should.

A Desperate Tow

His buddy quickly clipped a tow line to Mike’s diving gear and began pulling him toward the entrance. The water felt heavier, the cave longer.

Then things got worse. Mike lost buoyancy completely, sinking toward the cave floor. The movement stirred up the fine silt lying there for centuries. Within seconds, the water turned into a thick, brown cloud — visibility dropped to zero.

The diving mask in front of Mike’s eyes now saw nothing but darkness.

Incident Timeline

Time	Event Description
Exit begins	Mike shows difficulty with scooter control
+2 min	Requests to swim instead of using scooter
+5 min	Struggles to swim; buddy begins towing
+7 min	Complete loss of buoyancy; silt-out begins
+9 min	Encounter with cave instructor Ted McCoy
+11 min	Mike becomes unresponsive
Later	Recovery team retrieves body

An Unexpected Encounter

Just when things seemed impossible, a beam of light cut through the murky cloud. It was Ted McCoy, a cave-diving instructor, in the middle of teaching a class.

Ted saw the two figures in distress and immediately moved in to help. He grabbed Mike, trying to stabilize him and manage the silt cloud. But inside the heavy silence of the cave, Mike’s movements stopped altogether.

Ted knew the signs. Even in the cold water, the realization hit hard — Mike wasn’t breathing.

The End of the Dive

Ted and the buddy tried to bring him out, but it was clear they were no longer performing a rescue — this had become a recovery.

Once outside the cave, a recovery team was called. Divers worked methodically, using lines and careful buoyancy to bring Mike’s body to the surface without further incident.

The official autopsy confirmed what the divers suspected: Mike had suffered a heart attack caused by a blocked coronary artery. The heart attack left him unable to manage his diving gear or keep himself buoyant. The drowning followed quickly in the silent, unforgiving water.

Lessons from the Depths

• Physical health matters as much as skill — even for the most trained divers.
• A buddy’s quick actions can mean the difference between survival and recovery.
• Silt-outs can turn any cave dive into a blind, disorienting nightmare.

Mike Schultz entered the Devil’s System with the best diving tanks, an advanced rebreather, and decades of experience. But in the twisting tunnels of Ginnie Springs, even the most prepared diver can meet a moment they cannot overcome.