The family of a man who died while trying to rescue a friend in Utah have paid tribute to David Bell and called him a “hero.” Mr. Bell and his friend Pete On were killed when they jumped into a whirlpool after their friend Jeannine Skinner, who failed to return to the surface after diving into what she thought was a “little pool.”
The incident happened while the trio went canyoneering along the Seven Teacups trail in Tulare County, around 80 miles from Bakersfield. The friends were at the end of their trip when Jeannine jumped into the pool. She disappeared under the water, prompting the men to dive in after her, but all three were caught in a whirlpool. Emergency responders could not revive them despite a 20-minute effort, and all were pronounced dead at the scene.
David’s sister, Summerisa Bell Stevens, told reporters that the day had gone seamlessly until that point and that the first attempt to rescue Jeannine was almost successful. Pete On initially jumped into the pool and managed to escape the swirling current and pull his friend out, but she could not meet his grip, so he jumped back in. David then followed and tried to rescue them both.
Experts describe whirlpools using various terms, with some comparing them to water swirling out of a bathtub after the plug is pulled. They occur when two water currents move in the opposite direction in the same place, swirling around each other. The opposing currents can move at great speed, and if they build up enough strength, they can pull objects inside and force them downward.
Particularly large and powerful whirlpools are known as maelstroms, the largest of which forms on average every six hours at a body of water in Northern Norway called the Saltstraumen Strait. Scientists estimate that the Saltstraumen maelstrom has been forming for around 3,000 years. It is approximately ten meters wide and five meters deep and comprises roughly 480,000 liters of water. It is featured in Jules Verne’s classic 1870 novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” and is a tourist attraction in the popular Scandinavian nation.
