2000 Dive Log

1999 Dive Log

2000 Dive Log

2001 Dive Log

December 16, 2000 - SMART assisted the San Marcos Police Department with a kidnapping investigation by searching areas of the San Marcos river for a firearm. 2000-1216-10

October 8, 2000 - Press release - SMART cave divers penetrated into Jacob's Well as part of a research project with the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association to map and video tape the underwater spring. After penetrating over 300 feet in distance and 130 feet in depth, divers found the skeletal remains and diving equipment of a diver who is believed to be a man from Pasadena. Kent Maupin and Mark Brashiers were reported missing on September 9, 1979 while diving in Jacob's Well. Two years after the tragedy, the skull and some skeletal remains of Mark Brashiers were recovered after flood waters washed out some of his remains to the surface. Brashiers was positively identified through dental records but the body of Kent Maupin was never found. SMART cave divers discovered the skeletal remains and video taped the scene as part of the death investigation. As required by law upon the finding of human remains, SMART called the Hays County sheriff's department immediately after the dive and made a copy of the underwater video for the Sheriff's department's review. The 3 person topside support team included master diver Don Dibble, who was seriously injured in Jacob's Well attempting to recover the bodies of Brashier and Maupin in 1979. This has been a special victory and closure for Don, who has been a member of SMART Divers since 1988, and who assisted the team with his technical diving knowledge and past knowledge of the cave itself. A future dive is planned to recover the skeletal remains and deliver them to the medical examiners office for positive identification. SMART performed two additional dives into the cave over the next few days to recover all remains and SCUBA gear. This incident and recovery was the feature story in the March 2001 addition of Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. 2000-1008-09

September 23, 2000 - a 14 year old boy on a pontoon boat with family members near North Park on Canyon Lake jumps into the water for a swim. Strong winds push the boat away from the boy and family members are unable to rescue him from the deep water. A massive search ensures with the Canyon Lake Fire Department, the Comal County Sheriff's Department, Army Corp of Engineers, Travis County Search and Rescue K-9's and SMART Divers. Divers search over hundreds of yards with underwater cameras and with the use of K-9's specially trained to locate cadavers. The longest continual search in SMART history ends disappointingly eight days later without locating the missing boy. His body was discovered floating near North Park by two fishermen on October 11th. See photographs in our Photo Gallery's Recovery Operations section. 2000-0923-08

September 20, 2000 - SMART assisted cave divers and documentary film makers with the National Geographic Society and The Discovery Channel in Ezel's Cave, here in San Marcos. The film makers are doing a documentary on the origin of life on earth and are exploring the theory that evolution began in subterranean caves. Some very small species were collected along with "cave ice" to be analyzed in laboratories at the University of Houston. See photographs in our Photo Gallery's Cave Diving section for a picture of the Texas Blind Salamander in Ezel's Cave. 2000-0920-07

September 4, 2000 - SMART is called to assist the Kingsbury Fire Department and the Guadalupe County Sheriff's Department in locating a missing 18 year old Luling man who was reported missing after 4 wheeling west of Luling with two friends. Scotty Ramirez drove a 4 wheeler down the San Marcos River near Gander Slough Road west of Luling looking for a low bank to drive up and out of the river. When Ramirez did not return, his concerned friends reported him missing to the Guadalupe County Sheriff's Department. A search of the area during the night discovered the overturned green 4 wheeler downstream in approximately 4 feet of water. Rescuers searched the wooded area for several hours before calling SMART divers to assist the next morning. SMART arrived on scene at 8:14 am and began the murky underwater search at 9:00am. At 9:18am, Ramirez body was found in 15 feet of water approximately 60 feet downstream from the overturned 4 wheeler. This area of the river has numerous downed trees and boulders just below the water surface and it is believed that Ramirez struck one of those trees with the 4 wheeler. Divers encountered large branches and stumps during the black water search which lasted 18 minutes before Ramirez was located. See photographs in our Photo Gallery's Recovery Operations section. 2000-0904-06.

September 2, 2000 - The SMART cave diving team assisting the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association, penetrated further into Jacob's Well than ever before as part of a full mapping and documented exploration. This operation is part of a long on-going study with many dives to learn the mysteries of the Trinity Aquifer cave. SMART began diving in the underwater cave in 1996 and completed made the first video shortly afterwards. To learn more about Jacob's Well, click here. 2000-0902-05

June 12, 2000 - A 26 year old Houston man is reported missing at Comal Park in Canyon Lake after he attempts to swim from shore to assist a fallen jet skier. In one of the deepest areas of the lake, SMART used infrared video cameras connected to topside monitors to search the underwater tree line in depths over 110 feet. The search is called off after three days of searching an area the size of four football fields. One week later the Department of Public Safety dive team is called by the Governor's office to search the area. Again the search is unsuccessful. 2000-0612-04

May 9, 2000 - Tubers floating down the San Marcos River below Rio Vista Park report a body floating in the river near the Interstate 35 underpass. The San Marcos Police Department is notified and responding officers discover a fully clothed female body face down in the water. SMART is called to make the recovery and preserve the physical evidence. Detectives identify the woman as 38 year old Maria Isabel Benavidez, from Tahoka, Texas who was visiting relatives in San Marcos and reported missing three days earlier when she did not return from a morning jog. The medical examiners office determined the cause of death a drowning. 2000-0509-03

April 15, 2000 - SMART participated in the 19th annual Spring San Marcos River Clean-up and again won awards for the most bottles and most cans. The team did not reach the previous record of 462 bottles but came very close with 432 bottles and over 300 cans. Too date, SMART has won 11 awards participating in community river clean up projects throughout central Texas. 2000-0415-02

January 4, 2000 - When a large number of San Marcos residents are without water pressure, SMART is called by City officials to investigate and locate a water main break somewhere under the Sessoms Drive bridge on the San Marcos river. Divers discover a 10" main is broken and the water pressure from the leak has carved out a large cavity under the bridge. Detailed inspection determines a 2 foot section of pipe has shattered at a joint and extensive excavation and repairs are needed. Case number 2000-0104-01.