The bodies of Craig Simon, 44, and John Robinson, 36, have been recovered from the notorious Eagle's Nest cave system, Florida, by volunteers from the cave diving community. The pair were both experienced, cave-qualified divers.

The alarm was raised on Saturday 12 June, when the two men were reported overdue from their dive. Volunteers entered the cave, which reaches over 300 feet (over 90m) in depth, to search for the pair.

The body of John Robinson was recovered from 290 feet (88m) on Sunday, with his cylinders empty of gas. The recovery of Craig Simon's body took place late on 15 June, after the efforts of divers were hampered by storms - which caused a stronger than usual flow of water, and reduced visibility inside the cave. The body was eventually found by cave expert Paul Heinerth, in a small enclosed area known as John's Pocket, and was tangled in the cave guideline.

Both men were reported to have been using underwater scooters for their exploration, and had dived the site, described as an advanced cave dive, on previous occasions.

Eagle's Nest, also known as Lost Sink, is a well-managed cave diving site which is fitted with permanent guidelines to assist divers find the exit. Divers must pay for a permit to dive the site, and possess a recognised cave diving qualification.

Cave divers generally follow the rule of thirds, which states that the dive must be turned when one of the team has consumed one third of their gas supply. This allows two thirds of the gas for the journey back out of the cave, giving a healthy safety margin to allow for any problems. The use of underwater scooters complicates the issue of gas management, as it is difficult to plan sufficient contingency to allow for the gas that will be consumed on exit if a scooter breaks down inside the cave.

The cause of the accident is currently being investigated.

Related website
Florida caves website - description of Eagle's Nest and news update

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