In February 2014, two Finnish cave divers died at a depth of more than 100 metres in the Plura cave system in central Norway. Authorities deemed it too dangerous to recover the bodies, but four friends of the deceased decided to take the risk. Seven weeks later, they descended into the dark, glacial waters to bring their comrades home.
The dive site is at the end of the Plurdalen valley, where a 35-metre-wide river rises abruptly from the ground. Divers enter through a pond called Plura, swim underground for half a kilometre, and then continue through a narrow, deep sump—the world's deepest dived sump—to reach the cave of Steinugleflaget. The journey involves a five-hour dive to depths exceeding 130 metres, using underwater scooters and rebreathers.
On 6 February 2014, Patrik Gronqvist and Jari Huotarinen were the first of five divers to attempt the traverse. About an hour into the dive, at a depth of 110 metres, Gronqvist realised Huotarinen was stuck in a narrow section, entangled in a cord. Despite Gronqvist's efforts to help, Huotarinen began to panic and swallowed water, dying before his eyes. Gronqvist was forced to continue slowly to Steinugleflaget to avoid decompression sickness.
The second group of divers, unaware of the tragedy, continued the dive. They found Huotarinen's body and later that of the other deceased diver, but could not recover them. The bodies remained in the cave for seven weeks until a team of four friends, including Gronqvist, mounted a recovery mission. They successfully retrieved both bodies, bringing closure to the families.
