Disappeared In An Underwater Cave? What Happened To Ben McDaniel?! 

My dad was a rescue diver for awhile and he used to tell me about how freaky being underwater in caves is. You get disoriented cause there’s no gravity and you sometimes can’t tell which way is up or down. They tell you to blow air bubbles and try to follow them to the surface if you get lost but it doesn’t always work cause caves can be so deep and you can’t always figure out how to get out. It always sounded incredibly terrifying I can’t imagine getting down there and looking for a body and possibly finding one. It gives me chills.

Do a video on Duncan MacPherson! I’m so shocked there’s not more out there on him. He was a Canadian hockey player who went to Europe and disappeared and 14 years later he was found dead frozen in a glacier. He also told a friend he was contacted by the cia before this happened.

Kendall when you singsonged “can I get a f*ck no?!” I busted out laughing thru tears! This story broke my heart, and I needed that comedic relief. His dog without him 😭😔

If those true crime videos have taught me anything then it’s not to be the life of a party or have a smile that lights up a room

If you were one of the 8K people that saw the first upload of this, sorry for the confusion! I accidentally uploaded the rough draft without the music and photos! 😂

“Can I get a f*ck noooo” I laughed out loud. My cousin is a professional diver and was apart of the rescue team for Ben! I remember talking to her about it and it fascinated me.

*My theory:* Something totally normal happened in the caves like that he panicked or something and lost consciousness while underwater/in the caves. Eduardo - knowing he was the one who let him in and shouldn't have and knowing that the place could go out of business if more people ended up dying in the caves - brought his body up and him and the owner got rid of the body together. Passing a polygraph doesn't mean a whole lot, especially when you're an experienced and professional diver who has hours upon hours of training on staying calm.

“Can I get a fuck no?” This is why I’m subscribed to you. 😂😂😂

PLEASE DO THE CASE OF TAMLA HORSFORD !! She is a black woman who was found dead at the bottom of a balcony at an “adult sleepover” with 7 white moms and some dads. They were all football parents at a high school . Her case was closed and written off as “no foul play” but there is evidence that suggests otherwise !! SOMETHING IS NOT ADDING UP!! Please Kendall!!

Do you ever wonder, if you disappeared and Kendall did a video about you, how she would describe you as a person lol

there's no way he's still in the water. if the best cave divers can't get right to the end, then he definitely couldn't. why are people still looking in the cave where it's far more likely that something happened to him between the water and the truck?

Whenever there's no body, I just instantly feel like there was foul play involved. I feel like they should have investigated the employees and owner more as well.

A moment of silence for spooner bc she never had her best friend come home and she had no idea why.. :(

Lessons I’ve learned from Kendall Don’t Dive Don’t go on cruise ships Don’t trust ANYONE Don’t travel alone Don’t let your kids go for walks/play unsupervised

"You can get decompression sickness" Me, an expert from playing Sims 3 Island Paradise: uh huh uh huh

I feel so bad for his parents. Not only did they loose their youngest son at only 22, but they lost their older one at the happiest point of his life without any closure on what happened to him. This is a sad situation for all involved, but I cannot begin to imagine the grief his parents are going through.

If I ever see a grim reaper sign like that I'm head tf out.

Trust me: If this guy loved his dog as much as I love mine, he would never desert that dog.

This sounds like the most terrifying thing that could happen to someone.

I don’t believe this situation was a suicide, but I really can’t stand when people say “They didn’t seem like the type to die by suicide” When I was getting ready to check out, I was a straight A student, great social life, close positive relationship with family and I seemed like a really happy kid. The fact is that you just don’t know what’s going on with someone.

Maybe the guy who let him into the cave moved his body out of fear of being found responsible and/or being fired.

PLEASE do a "Where Is?" on Ayla Reynolds. She is a little girl from Maine, my state, and she was like 3 years old when she disappeared years ago. Her family is very suspicious and her father even went M.I.A last year when Ayla's mother was suing him for wrongful death and he hasn't been found since either.

I’m sorry but this sounds like pure torture I can’t believe people do this for fun. 😬

All animal lovers know, Ben wouldn't have purposefully left his dog, helpless... 😪🙏

I've followed this case since the very beginning, I live in Memphis and met Ben when I was a little girl, he did some woodworking for my family and our house he was always so sweet and nice, he would show me how to use his tools and never seemed to be annoyed with this little girl badgering him we saw him when he came back from florida and were awaiting his return god bless his soul, if you do pray, please pray for his parents who are still grieving every day

Early to say that this case holds a special place in my heart. I've always thought the grounds crew of Vortex Springs was responsible for hiding his body, as SEVERAL other divers have died getting trapped in the caves in the spring. I frequent these springs and know that there have been dozens of instances of people getting lost or stuck in the caves. The owners have gotten into trouble due to liability issues because of the caves; I think they hid his body or made sure he wasn't reported as found so that their insurance on the property didn't ruin their business. EDIT: To refute the 2-day argument, I want to point out that Vortex Springs offers multiple cabins and campsites for people who want to stay on the grounds. It's not at all unusual to have your car parked in the same place for the duration of your stay, as there isn't much else in the area besides JUST the springs. Locals know to bring supplies and there are often hundreds of people there at a time. His vehicle being parked there in the same spot for 2 days is perfectly normal. This place isn't just a 1-day destination. I've stayed for multiple days on vacation before and had no reason to move my vehicle, as the gift shop carries food and necessities.

If I ever go missing and my dogs are left behind.... then you’ll know that I didn’t go missing on purpose

Edd is the #1 most qualified and experienced cave/rescue diver on this planet. He has found every single person he is called to help. If Edd did not find him… he’s not in that cave.

This gave me so much anxiety I can’t imagine getting stuck and just dying alone that’s terrifying to me

Personally as someone who has been suicidal and wanted to escape my life, I would never ever leave my dog unattended for several days.

first rule of diving : never dive alone

I live in Florida, we have tons of springs here, some with underwater caves. My ex told me that when he was a teenager, he went out with a bunch of his friends, and there was at least one set of parents there. One of his friends went underwater, and never came back up. They did a full search of the entire spring and the river connected to it, no body was ever found. They suspect that he swam into a cave, and couldn’t get out. It’s been more then 10 years and still nothing has been recovered.

I'm not blaming Ben or anything, but diving alone seems like a terrible idea.

My dad (who is also a certified cave diver) is a friend of Edd’s and as a huge fan of your channel I wanted to share what he had to say. “If Edd says he didn’t die in there, he didn’t die in there.” Simple and blunt but I fully trust him and Edd because I know, and have seen footage, of the craziness they go through in caves. I don’t want to say too much out of respect for these professionals but where the tanks where did not make sense for someone that was even attempting to go into this cave. I am not saying he for sure did not die there but I trust Edd above anyone else and have the utmost respect for him. Come to your own conclusion but the scene was not what it should have been even for an amateur diver trying to explore an unknown (to him) cave which seem fishy, no pun intended, to me. I would also like to say that my father has been in this cave and is aware of its reputation even before this incident but still holds firm in his and Edd’s belief.

*CLAUSTROPHOBIA INTENSIFIES*

As a diver, the number one rule of diving: never dive alone. The employees who saw let him into the cave should have followed him or arranged for a certified cave diver to go down and join him. If the tunnel system is too narrow for a camera, there's no way Ben is down there. Also, the theory of Ben committing suicide on a dive is ridiculous. Every diver knows that running out of air then drowning would be the most painful way to die.

Imagine if I went missing and Kendall did a video on it... “Rosie had no friends...she wasn’t very liked...”

“Can I get a F NO” 😂🤣😂isn’t that the truth!

My heart breaks for his parents, two sons how awful. They sound like lovely parents as well ☹️

Every time you talk about the reasons someone wouldn't commit suicide at that moment in their lives I think about my mom's cousin- She was at her parent's house where they were having a birthday party for her two year old daughter. She left to go "buy some more snacks" but she ended up shooting herself instead. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason for the timing of these things. I doubt that happened with Ben, but I felt like it should be said.

What if he fell into a different universe, I mean it is called the vortex

I feel SO bad for this family. I completely understand and support the concerns of the diving community when it comes to the reward, but it's heartbreaking when you think about what this family went through- having to bury 2 of your 3 children? I can't even imagine.

Imagine knowing someone probably died in an underwater cave and thinking “let me go down there and possibly live the same fate to try and find them”. Gotta be BRAVE BRAVE

My theory: He went down into the cave around 7:00 o’clock pm. At some point, the place must close? And they must send employees down to make sure the place is clear before they close. And they must make sure that gate is locked? And there would be no record of him being in there because he didn’t go to the front desk and sign for the key. So either Antonio locked it right after he let him in, or another employee must’ve locked it for the night. Antonio may have forgotten that he went into the cave when they left that night, and, no written record at the front desk log. I think he died in the cave near the door, and that’s why they found the abandoned pressure tanks near the entrance. For some reason, he couldn’t get back out the locked gate. And I think they found him. Either Antonio remembered the next morning, or employees do a run through before they open and he saw him. Then I think he got rid of the body, with or without the owner’s knowledge.

there’s no way they couldn’t find any trace of him, i believe the company hid the body to hide what happened

I can't imagine how his parents cope, losing their 2 sons so young. Death by drowning (suffocating) is one of my worst fears. The first time I dove off a board, I lost my sense of direction and couldn't get to the surface. I actually hit my head on the side of the pool, trying to get up for air. Life guard probably wasn't paying attention (or too busy getting a tan) because nobody helped me. I was terrified! Needless to say, I've never dove or swim underwater again. Im not much of a swimmer either way.

I definitely believe his body was found and moved by the employees.

Dying in an underwater cave is my biggest fear. I would never even put myself in a position where it could happen, so its totally irrational, but still terrifying.

I honestly believe that he died while diving into the cave and they hid his body just so they wouldn’t look bad after all the other incidents that happened in the cave before Ben’s. You had some of the best divers in the world to try and find him and they couldn’t find any sign of him ???? There’s no way, especially if Ben was a big dude. I feel like you would be able to find him in the narrowest part of the cave if he tried to get through but might have struggled. I think this was a total cover up and my heart hurts for his family. They deserve at least to know where his body is so they can have a proper burial 😞🙏🏻

Like you said, Divers can get disorientated. Maybe he came up a bit to quickly towards the end and got disorientated and walked off away from the cave dying elsewhere. Or his body got lodged somewhere where people cant get to, especially since they found that bacteria I think is the most likely case.

My theory is he did die in there, and once the owner found out he decided to get rid of his body because it would have ruined their reputation. They probably left his truck so that it would be a mystery but also other divers would come and think of it as an attraction. The shovel found was probably his shovel but again, the owner denying it for the sake of keeping a good reputation. This would explain the confirmed bacteria in the water samples.

This story is especially heartbreaking. His parents literally did everything for him and let him live rent free in Florida because they loved him and just wanted him to get better and then this :(

I don’t care how curious I get, I’m not going that deep into the earth

My theory : he removed his half full tank to squeeze into a smaller space maybe panicked & got stuck and sadly passed but I think the employee who let him in there probably found his body & took it out. The employee already hid that he let him in & without certification and apparently notices 2 days later that his truck is in the EXACT same spot??? Something you dont really notice unless it's already on your mind plus if the employees are responsible for getting back the keys so not to get sued & shut down also having random drivers down there then you think the employee wouldve made sure at the end of the night that the gate was secured shut because it was his key to begin with or atleast the next day! If ben came back out and left that gate open & someone else went in there the employee could still be in real trouble. I think this employee was covering his ass by saving his career & not having the owners sued.

As a scuba diver myself and you not a driver, you explained everything so well. Most people dont understand all those aspects. Just shows how much work you put into each video. Your awesome!

I'm depressed...and going through alot mentally... And it sounds weird...but listening to you tell these true stories ...gives me a calm sense comfort... Thank you for what you do

my dad always says that being overly confident is the most deadly thing of all

A friend of mine has hours of experience in scuba diving.. So when he decided to dive into the Cenotes in Mexico he thought it would be a fun experience..He was alright for about 10 minutes, and then he started to have a panic attack..He felt like he was dying, and could not get his bearings..He was so lucky that his diving buddy saw what was going on,and was able to help get him back to the surface..To this day he say's that he will never never attempt to do that again because he believes that he was just seconds away from death that day..

god i felt like i couldn’t breathe while watching this. so much anxiety.

I'm getting claustrophobic watching this! Omg how do they do this? It makes me hyperventilate!!

My theory: Ben went down in to the cave and wanted to push himself and so when further in than he had before, as he went in to a cramped area of the cave, it became unstable and a very large rock fell blocking him in a small area and he died there , everyone who went down in to the cave to find him went straight past the area he was trapped in because the large rock blended in and no one knew it use to be an open area. Just think about that for a moment 💀

If the best professional divers or a CAMERA couldn’t even get through the crevices of the cave , how could a lifeless body get through?? This case is so mysterious to me 😭

Dudeeeee this made my anxiety go 📈 I get so claustrophobic in certain situations and I hate the idea of drowning. Man these people are brave

he didnt deserve what happened, but also: it's probably what was expected considering the circumstances. The fact that there was a cave so narrow it's impossible to turn around past a certain point says something. Also: a moment of silence for the 13 people who lost their lives to a death trap that was not closed off or even given a warning to the general public for years and years

Absolutely love your channel :) Could you PLEASE cover the case of Rhys Bonner. He was a 19 year old boy found dead in a ditch and the police aren't suspecting it as a murder! There's a possible suspect as well! The case is small but its really frustrating. Theres an interview with his mum on RU-vid on the Anything goes with James English channel. His poor mother is desperate for answers. It would mean a lot ❤

I’ve been a scuba diver for 12 years and the #1 rule is never dive alone. For most things that can go wrong on a dive, you can survive if you have a dive buddy with you, and we are trained for those scenarios. And I absolutely agree that formal certification is necessary. Cave diving is no joke and requires a lot of training and skill.

thank GOD it’s back up.. i was bout to cry😭😂‼️ so ready for this!!!!!

The idea of cave diving makes me feel actually sick. So scary

Being trapped under the water is one of my biggest fears so this is extra creepy to me

I trust the dogs that tracked him to the water. I also think that after diving all day he was too exhausted to be cave diving and became disoriented down there. Very sad story indeed.

He's not in there. Period. He's the only one they've never found? BS. I definitely suspect foul play.

Imagine ghosting the family of a missing person when you’re one of their last hopes for finding their loved one......wtf dude

If one of the best cave divers in the world said he’s not in there, he’s probably not in there.

It’s 1am here in UK, my anxiety is through the roof and I cannot sleep. I cannot tell you how much I needed a video from you!!! ♥️♥️♥️

i kinda think he faked his death to get out of his debts to the irs, but i also feel like it doesn’t make sense for someone with his character to just leave his dog and his family who have already lost a son

I feel so bad for his mother, losing two sons seems unimaginable

If I was in those caves underwater, I would die from an anxiety attack. I'm claustrophobic as hell

“They found Ben’s shovel...........except it wasnt Ben’s shovel.” Breh

Why did they wait until two days had passed, to say that the van was still there?

why did 13 people have to die before the owners put a sign up??! wouldn’t you do that immediately after the 1st one?!

i feel like in 20 years there might be an anonymous tip where his body actually is

when she said “before we dive into that”

The theory that the owner took his body and got rid of him makes the most sense, but there has been others that had died there as well. Why just cover up one persons death?

I remember the story heading to Florida news. Growing up here my father always told us at the spring stay away from the caves. The aquifer that Florida resides on top of is always changing. I learned in college from my professor who is a cave dive instructor, That they have to go re-map out certain caves and tunnels so many times a year because there is still water flow which is causing new tunnels to form and other walls to actually collapse. This was such a well done video Kendall if you were ever in Florida come hang out let’s go to some of the springs there are so many more disappearances that happen at springs in Florida than anybody ever touches on

im not sure whether its just me but I dive and ive always been told you always need a buddy which basically means you never dive alone and always dive with someone else, idk just a thought

I literally almost died last year on the 4th of July scuba diving. My oxygen tank ran out of air and the instructor ended up switching me to my emergency air tank (which worked fine), but when she tried to switch me back to the standard oxygen tank there was no air at all and I panicked 30 feet below surface and literally almost died but luckily the instructor put the emergency air back in my mouth in time😞. This has caused me so much anxiety and I just want to urge people to be safe anytime they’re near bodies of water air diving because anything could happen and you never know

Honestly, that cave should be closed. After all the people that have died there, and, idk, THE POSSIBILITY OF FINDING A DEAD BODY OR MORE? Or, OR, say this was an accident, and there was a place that killed Ben, point is this cave should be closed off, professional or not.

Some warning signs: "HELL is literally in here! STAY OUT!" Some people: Hmm, I'm gonna get the key and go in there anyway.

I can’t swim so I would never, this is super sad 😞.

I feel like if he went to start a new life he would’ve took his dog

When you said that the guy had to tilt his head and then you sang “can I get a f no” I laughed so hard 😂 I would never go diving cuz I can’t even swim, sucks this had to happen to him,

I’m a dive instructor and have done work in scientific and occupational diving as well. I have over 400 dives and I would never ever try to teach myself cave diving. It’s extremely dangerous and definitely needs certification 🥺 such a sad story.

Poor doggy probably misses him so much

"He would drop down and start doing pushups in the middle of a conversation." Me: So he's a sim?

I know that you said you can’t understand why somebody would end their life doing something they love. Last summer, just a few minutes from my house a professional skydiver killed himself by removing his parachute. He was jumping with a student and left that student to land on his own. We still don’t know why, but he chose to die doing what he knew and loved. 🙁

A thought: The divers are correct. Ben is not in the caves because when he came up in the evening that is prime aka gator hunting time. Dusk into night is when they are active. The Vortex is literally creek adjacent. Blue Creek runs into Vortex Springs. If an aligator attacked they would drown Ben and go off to bury the body if they didn’t eat all of it. Could be why the tanks were left behind but no one can find him, Dogs would smell Ben at the water but their would not be a body. It’s not a pleasant thought but it’s not unheard of.

My dad kiIIed himself in 2006, when I was a teenager. Up until that day I would've said the same "there's no way he would ever commit suicide".. however, the fact that he didn't leave a note, especially being so close with his family.. I just don't think it's suicide. And I don't think he "faked his death" either, for the same reasons.

“There’s nothing in there worth dying for” And with that you have gained my interest

Idk what to think. I live in Santa Rosa, my husband has dived that cave and he doesn’t think there’s anyway he is in there. I have never done a deep dive myself but idk

“Can I get a fuck nooo” 🤣🤣 lol I swear, Kendall and I would’ve been awesome friends if our paths ever crossed 🙈😆