DIVERS REACT TO MR. BALLEN'S CLAUSTROPHOBIC HORROR STORY
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ต.ค. 2024
- DISCLAIMER: Before recording this video we reached out to Mr. Ballen and explained our intention with the video, and this was his response:
"For the upcoming reaction with Mike, just know I used what was publicly available to make the video and even though I may have embellished some details here and there to make the story more engaging, I certainly never intended to misrepresent Mike or anyone else in the video, hope he and you all see that! But please react however you see fit, I put it out there, so I can take whatever comes of that!"
We are sharing this because we want to make sure everyone watching this understands that we are BIG FANS of Mr. Ballen, and we understand that when he tells his stories he is relying on information available publicly. If that information is incorrect then of course his story will be incorrect. Everyone needs to understand that this is NOT his fault, and that we are NOT holding that against him.
We are huge fans of Mr. Ballen and we are very thankful that he agreed that this video should be recorded and released.
Original video: • Top 3 CLAUSTROPHOBIC h...
- -
Month's ago I was watching a Mr. Ballen video titled Top 3 CLAUSTROPHOBIC horror stories | Part 1 and I was surprised to hear that one of the divers involved in one of these stories was our good friend and world-class cave explorer Mike Young.
I showed Mike the video and started asking some questions to gain more clarity into the story and that's when I learned that things didn't go down as told by Mr. Ballen.
So we knew we wanted to have Mike on the show to go over what really happened, and I was shocked to learn that the real story was even scarier than the one from Mr. Ballen's video!
Subscribe to Mike Young's channel: / @mikeyoung8968
Also, we’ve received a ton of comments regarding how we are mispronouncing MrBallen’s name, we hope this helps: • Mr. B-Allen or Mr. Bal...
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Wow, Mike, listening to you was so intense. This whole video flew by. Thank you for taking the time to clarify this story, and RIP Shane.
These videos are great, keep it up guys!
You know you are killing it when you get reaction videos....keep them coming!!!!
Oh aha, I had just literally messaged you on your upload about Katy Perry's ex, to inform you about this upload.
Mister B. Allen in the flesh!
Loving this crossover form my favorite TH-cam dudes!
Everyone gets left behind bruh!
MrBallen's comment reflects a tone about his character. Instead of being on the defensive about being called out about reporting inaccurate details in the story, he was genuinely happy that the story was clarified. He's a great storyteller!
Agreed. We reached out to him before even recording the video and he was very supportive. We double checked even, we were like “but John, just to make sure, Mike is saying most of the story is not right” and he was like “can’t wait to see Mike tell the real story!”.
Class act!
@@DIVETALK You are a class act too for reaching out to him first. 👏 👏 Thank you for not jumping on the YT bandwagon on ripping people apart and trying to get them "canceled". Kudos to both channels
@@DIVETALK That was awesome .
Love that you guys would rather help clarify his stories than try to destroy him. Would love to see some of the people in the storytelling process.
Totally agree, he's a stand up guy. Rare breed
FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, one of Mr Ballens stories is told by a first hand account!!!! This is truly a gem for all the Mr Ballen fans.
Facts
Yeah because most of the people in the stories are dead
nope, its the second time, heres the first one
ballens story (2nd story of the 3 in the episode) - th-cam.com/video/wSiHjKIckNM/w-d-xo.html
original, firsthand story - Haley Zega th-cam.com/video/2AJIu_AQWBk/w-d-xo.html
@@Dany_Stormborn yeah i had thought of some of theos too, but sense they are more publically known stories, i was thinking they dont count
@@ZOMBIEHEADSHOTKILLER oooh, there's 3 here, thank you, I'll watch those to, and like a true gentleman he thanked these guys 💞 and now I found these guys who also seem very cool 😀✌️.
Mike needs massive amounts of appreciation for coming onto the show and sharing this traumatic event with everyone. Not only did he live it but had the balls to come here and share it with everyone else.
I looooooove him . He's so humble and shy about his amazing accomplishments. Not a conceited bone in the man's body.
This guy is fucking incredible. Goes from a cave exploration, to getting lost, to dealing with getting pummeled by a panicked diver, to doing a rescue, to a self rescue, to a body recovery. INCREDIBLE...
“I want to be a cave diver!”
*Watches video.*
“I want to snorkel in 3 meters of water!”
Funny comment!!!
The thought of cave diving has never once been appealing to me. Waaaaay too sketchy
Hahahaha! Same thoughts 🤣
I'm good with just a bubble bath
you can literally drown in a half inch of water
As a Ballen fan, it's so gracious of you guys to clarify without being jerks to him about it.
Yes. They're good guys I bet the Shane guy was a good guy too. Bless his soul. Rip
Yeah, I think people have a tendency to forget that he's telling the story based around the information available to him, which isn't always going to be 100% correct. Being an asshole when you spot those inaccuracies is incredibly childish and doesn't make you look as smart as you think it does. These guys were very professional about things and I'm thankful for that as Mr. BALLEN is an awesome storyteller that does his best to be as accurate as possible.
It´s called being an Adult, but that is Rare on TH-cam or even the interwebs these days, So you´re Right Lindsay it´s Very nice to See.
agreed💙
Pro's at work 👍🏻💪🏻👏🏻
Mike, if you see this…. I hope, if you ever WERE pissed at Shane, that you never felt/feel guilty about it. Not only did he jeopardize his own safety by not listening to what he was told to do, but he also jeopardized your life. You have every right to be upset about that even as you mourn his death. ❤️
😢
Such a thoughtful and very true comment ✨️🤍
It is incredible Mike is still here! Against all of the odds.
His ability to A) not panic and B) Having the side tank really saved his life. (Both of which are concious decisions he made).
Yes, we can't know what Shane's thought process was, but Mike is allowed to process his own experiences about it however he needs to
Mike, I imagine it has to be really traumatic to reflect on this and retell the story. I wanted to just say I am honored and humbled to witness you retell it. I am sorry for your loss and also my prayers are with you.
Yes, this!
That had to be so difficult to experience in general but then having to go back and relive it for this. But he stepped up to help educate others and avoid this happening in the future. Mad props to him
Rest in peace Shane
Agreed! Thanks for sharing Mike
My heart stopped so many times when he lost his line and then realized that Shane had passed. It felt so intense
GOTTA love mr Ballen, I mean, if you like the dark and mysterious told in story format.
LMAO 🤣
😂
Yes haha, just watched his most recent upload about Katy Perry's ex partner.
This comment is fucking legendary
Cuz that's all he does
Whenever someone calls him out on something incorrect, John B. Allen, aka Mr.Ballen, is very humble and expresses gratitude for the corrections.
I agree. It's sad though that real integrity is so rare online that people get commended for it
@@googlename3859 it is sad but equally annoying is how it is brought up EVERY TIME someone shows integrity.
Just think to yourself "huh that's cool, don't see it much." No need to go to the keyboard.
@@cdudeNYR Sadly, it is the opposite of what most people on social media do
Well he knows he is wrong when he makes the story. It’s not a coincidence that the information he is wrong about always tends to make the story seem better. But he is now making 300k a month, so he knows what he is doing
@@Dodgers-sw2uk he told the story as it was told to him the man is a retired NAVY SEAL he doesn't need to make stuff up for views
This dude literally has nerves of steel... I almost ran out of air listening to that story and im not even near any water...😳... RIP Shane
Damn, you can see in Mike's eyes especially at the end of the video that even though he knows it wasn't his fault this will stick with him. I'm glad he shared the story and brought the facts to light I'm sure it was immensely difficult.
I know! Can you imagine?? I know he cared so much about Shane and he feels guilty even though it wasn't his fault. He felt a sense of loyalty and friendship that only time can tell. It is human nature to think about the what ifs... At the end of the day, he did deviate from the plan. You can't do that when you are doing these dangerous dives. He just wanted to be next to his idol, Mike. He felt like he could have made it, and I think under different circumstances, he could have done it without a doubt. It just wasn't in the plan for that day
SHANE basically killed himself. If he had remained calm instead of panicking, then he wouldn’t have run out of air. He would have escaped
.
@@electrictroy2010 Possibly even slightly more important than rules like "Plan your dive AND dive your Plan." is that in ALL these dangerous activities, there is absolutely NO ROOM for panic.
I don't think that gets said enough... AND it doesn't matter if we're talking about diving or dry-cave exploring, or playing with really BIG motorcycles... You don't have any room to panic. You can NOT allow it, even when absolutely EVERY fiber and nerve in your being is screaming at you "Now is DEFINITELY a good time to freak RIGHT out!"... Panic kills.
If you freak out on a bike, your muscles tighten up, and you can't be flexible. Your hands clamp down and lose sensation, and you can't finesse the brake lever or find the friction zone in the clutch... Then it's a matter of time before you jerk, shove, or kick... and you're coming OFF the bike...
In caves or underwater, visibility is ALWAYS an issue. If you panic, you can't think straight. Your mind WILL lose details, and then you've similarly invited disaster. I might not be any kind of expert on diving, but there are computers, sensitive equipment, and precise procedures you have to do to stay alive... Use too much air, and you run out. Forget to check your meters and you won't even notice when you're running out... OVER-work a rebreather, and you could burn it out entirely or otherwise lose its functions, and even temporarily, it's a recipe for failure... In dry-caving, I've been "pinched"... AND there's nothing probably more frightening than laying under a rock while your light goes out while your friends are "making a run back" to get rope from the cache (a routine kind of task) to get enough hands involved to drag you out... There is NOT dark like underground and dark... dead dark... It won't hurt you, but pinched, you don't have a lot of breath to waste... You can't be hyperventilating through a freak-out for a couple hours without passing out... and then you're useless. You have to hold your sh*t together.
Mike, in the vid', did NOT panic. He refused panic... AND as a result, he was able to think his way back up, and he survived. He got out.
Shane went "off book"... That was recoverable at the point when Mike found him and got him turned around... BUT then he panicked. THAT is what killed Shane.
Not trying to argue... I hope you read the whole thing. I just want to clarify... Yes, it's important to stick to a plan... BUT this might be helpful in case you're ever in a situation where someone else "goes off book" as it were. Your mind is one of THE most powerful utansils ever known to mankind... The human mind is the singular instrument from whence EVERYTHING else man has ever created has HAD to come. There's NOTHING it can't do and no pencil fine enough to out perform it's capacity for details. ;o)
I second everything you've said. I actually thought Mike come across as a little bit aloof, and as if he didn't want to participate in this episode at the start, but after hearing his story - I now understand why his demeanor was the way it was. It's gotta be so tough for him, reliving it all, but I suppose he wanted to right the wrongs in the versions that done the rounds
@@KatieBlue16I mean it's a traumatic event I would expect him to be a little reserved
It’s good to see that you guys took the time to explain that Mr. Ballen was only reporting on the info he had. Instead of trashing him for lying or calling him out. I’m a big fan of his and to also see him respond was cool to see! Keep up the great vids👍👍
Right!
I agree. Mr Ballen definitely is good at telling a story to bring awareness. Not always does he have the exact fact but his story telling is what intrigued us to dig a little deeper and support all of those who suffered.
Yeah, all real gentleman 💞👍.
I was also very happy to see that becasue at the beginning I kind of thought they were gonns rip him, but that was real cool of them to clarify that
Thiisssss💯
Thank you for having Mike clarify the details of that dive. Mr Ballen did a decent job on telling the story and I think we all know that when you're telling a story from a second or third hand perspective there's always going to be some kind of "oopsie" somewhere. Sometimes it'll be something little and sometimes it'll be something major.
All of Mr. Ballen's fans know that he puts a lot of effort into the information he provides and we are ok if he makes a mistake here or there because he is honest about it and corrects it as soon as he can. I suspect that video will be edited with the correct information in the future.
Mr. Ballen has the best strange, dark and mysterious fandom on TH-cam because he is trusted and respected that much. And now, so are you.
Now, on to watch another one of your videos.
Thank you for this thoughtful comment. We agree and Mr B. Allen should be trusted as he does a great job and brings light to stories such as this.
Exactly and he had me hooked immediately just like everyone else.
There so much love for Mr. Ballen, this is what I called, respect. Thank you gentlemen.
I like Mike, the other guys are kinda pretentious. They're nowhere near Ballen level for me but to each their own I guess.
I doubt Mr B will redo the video with corrections. The incorrect things aren’t that significant. It’s far more likely he will let this reaction video stand as the reaction with his endorsement and approval, which is still admirable and shows his character.
My second time watching this. The pain in Mike's voice, even after all these years, when he describes second guessing himself over all the things he might have been able to do differently says it all. Mike, you did all you could. RiP Shane.
It greatly impresses me that Mike was not only able to calm himself, but keep himself present and in 'expert' mode when something so tragic and traumatic had happened. And to be able to retrieve the body, after all that had happened the day before - Mike is truly an excellent person.
I also appreciate that you two were so courteous with Mr Ballen, and that he has responded so well in return!
beast of a man
"I'm not making a single move, unless there's purpose." pure gold.
I love that comment. Would be great on a shirt.
Great advice for life in general.
Absolutely. Just a great life lesson.
And that's why he is alive.
Definitely words to live by.
I at first thought “man they’re gonna be pausing a lot and it’s going to bore the heck out of me”, but as they kept pausing and talking more and more as to what actually happened, it made me realize how crazy the sequence of events Mike decided to choose, when one of those choices could’ve been very poor, meaning this video could not exist if it wasn’t for Mike’s every single decision along the dive. Amazing video and Rest In Peace Shane
Mike should just do his own "horror story telling" chanel. This was so creepy eventhough we already thought we knew the story. It's something completely different if the person who was involved talks about the scary details
@@melissanarli3153 As a combat vet... recounting an incident like that is... more than hard.
You can see it in Mike's eyes a few times.
I cannot to this day, 20 years later, speak openly about... yeah...
You literally relive the incident EVERY TIME...
My VA Psychologist & Psychiatrist say that for some it helps and gets easier... for others... nope.
I hope it gets easier for Mike. Hearing a story is one thing, hearing someone's harrowing retelling is another when you know they are reliving that moment as they speak.
@@the_algorithm I absolutely agree with you! Please don't take my comment literal, I was just exaggerating to hint on the horrifing brutality of what Mike had gone through. (Worse than even the 'true' stories). I would be a horrible person if I meant that seriously o.O
@@the_algorithm well said. I’m a vet too, but never saw any combat. My uncle however was a Vietnam vet who saw a ton of combat and never ever talks about the war. He’s mentioned several times that those who’ve done things don’t talk about it. Those who talk about all the time never did shit and are lying. LOL
I learnt so much hearing how Mike can panic (cave divers are human after all!) but how training and experience can pull you back from the edge, and allow you to think through your plan and ultimately save your own life. As a recreational diver, this video is so intense!
Having to re-tell a first hand account of the tragic death of a friend must have brought up alot of emotions. By doing so Mike very well could save future divers from accidental deaths, Thank you
I want to add something I haven't seen said yet: Thank you Mike for taking the time to share a story that must be a raw story. I'm sorry this tragedy happened and I appreciate that you'd share it with us.
SHANE basically killed himself. If he had remained calm instead of panicking, then he wouldn’t have run out of air. He would have escaped
.
@@electrictroy2010 says someone who has never cave dived.
@@somethingcats it does not matter if he ever cave dived he just stated the truth
Hes clearly upset from the begining. What a tuff dude, im glad he shared his story for all you mad lad divers
Took the words out of my mouth - ❤ Mike
I think it’s really good to have Shane’s true story told, and acknowledge that a lot of misinformation is out there (without shaming people that likely shared it unknowingly). I really appreciate Mike telling his story, and I can’t imagine it was easy to relive.
Truly, Mr B’s versión wouldn’t be considered misinformation in my opinion. I mean, he got the basics right and didn’t go into much detail. And the fact he was open to having it corrected says a lot. But still, I completely agree. And it seems that there is so much misinformation that goes around nowadays and it seems people even prefer the misinfo over the truth if it makes them feel better about themselves. I recently watched a video about “the true story of the National Anthem” that was completely false, not a single true statement in it other than the author’s name, literally. But when I commented about all the errors and listed them along with the accurate info I got blasted. I got dozens of replies by people telling me I wasn’t a patriot because the false story was more “patriotic” with it’s made up BS that pulled at their heartstrings. Even after knowing the truth, they wanted and tried to rationalize the lies. To me that speaks a lot to why our country is having so much division and problems these days. How can we solve problems and make progress if we can’t even agree on what what is facts and what is false?
Either way it's a real horror story. Ballen is an amazing story teller anyway.
Definitely and I don't even blame him for putting Mike in danger. I don't think there are many people who could act rationally and without panic in that situation. He was one of the best trained divers on the planet but small mistakes that stacked up immensely lead to his death and almost to the death of Mike. You need to follow rules in any kind of diving.
I totally agree wth you.
The real story is actually much scarier than the one Ballen told. Can't believe you guys do this stuff, couldn't pay me to it. Glad you made it out Mike. RiP Shane.
I love the respect MrBallen and you two have for each other. Factual clarifications are done as adults, not like TH-cam drama-seekers.
Thank you
i am waiting for the first drama queen that tries to pull these guys through the mud, wich actually kind of almost already happened with the turkish (i believe) instructor that threatened them in an e-mail. they briefly told us about it, shrugged it of and everything was good, btw @@DIVETALK i got a kick out of that 😅
90% OF MR BALLEN STORY IS WRONG. Maybe he should do more research into what Actually happened instead of writing fiction (inventing details on his own)
.
@@electrictroy2010 or you can look at it as entertainment, not a fn documentary you twat....
You can’t blame Mr Ballen. All stories are wrong unless they are recorded by the actual people involved. Word of mouth also gets changed as people tell the story. The details the City has recorded are probably wrong. Instead of pointing fingers, do your own research and see what that shows. Mr Ballen is a Completely Humble Man and has No Problem being wrong. He is always happy for other people to give him real facts. Be Ballen now works with Dave Paleides on his Misssing 411 videos to make sure he gets the facts right I would guess he will now check with these guys to check details.
I could feel the panic rising in me as Mike told this story. I’ve never been scuba diving but I could feel what was at stake. Added so much to the video from Mr. Ballen. Wow. This is why you get training, run/lay lines, put arrows down, take all of the precautions…because this *could* be life or death. No one should attempt this without the training you need not to panic and to be safe. My heart goes out to the diver who didn’t come back up. So sad.
I'm crying over Mr.B.Allen😭 I can't call him Mr.Ball'in anymore now😂 he's honestly such a great content creator and his way if story telling is really captivating without being too drawn out. Really appreciate his work and appreciate you guys taking some time to check him out too! Stay safe out there everyone!💜
I'm calling him Mr Balling, Idc 🥲
Not sure how they came up with B Allan. But I was laughing - right before the tears, horror, sadness, and captivating story.
@@bluephoenix702 his name is John B Allen, that's where his name came from. But everyone (including John) calls it the MrBallen ' channel
This was a bad day. I actually helped Mike clear the rocks and debris to open this cave, and went down to 125 feet in it with him the week before this happened. We were texting while he was recovering on O2 and talked on the phone that night about going in for the recovery. I still think he is crazy. But then, I was the one who put him one the back of the alligator, so it's relative. While it was a great tragedy, I am glad there was only 1 fatality and not 2.
Wow Jay! Just wow!
@@Sm-rq9ll talk more about donald cerrone please 🙏
I love the respect you guys showed when clarifying the misunderstood or misinformed details of Allen's story, and the fact that it was handled by adults like adults is genuinely heartwarming, congrats to every single one of you guys involved for the mutual respect.
To be fair to Ballen, we all including you guys got confused on the part where he was talking about car sized boulders. Ballen probably did the same thing. You guys thought he was in a tunnel and rocks fell to the floor and they had to dig through when in reality he’s not in a tunnel he’s in the middle of Boulder fields trying to maneuver through. Maybe that’s where he got confused and it was easier to say tunnel? Either way that’s awesome you got Mike on!!!
I wish someone would look at me the way Woody looks at Gus when he wants to dive a specific cave.
That made me truly laugh. This is Woody. Lol!!!
Makes me think of when woody was saying “when we go diving for gold” lol
😂😂😂
His eyes do truly light up, at the end of the video was particularly magical 🥺(best wishes and love from 🇨🇦)
😂😂😂😂
I respect the class you guys showed while correcting the details of MrB’s retelling, along with MrB’s response to your video. Your videos are utterly fascinating & I’m not a diver- so I think that says quite a bit about them.
We appreciate your feedback. Thank you.
This video is soooooo emotional hearing it from Mike's perspective. This must of been so traumatic for Mike. RIP Shane. And this was a good look into another side of cave diving... the mappers and what and how they do it.
This is the hardest part of cave diving.
Prayers for Mike.
I don't know if Shane was a close friend of him or just a scuba diving partner but you can see how uncomfortable is for him to talk about that dive, It's sad man!
Fernando, it was hard for him and we appreciated this greatly .
Its horrible :( but im glad we all get to hear about what happened. Its also amazing that Mike isn't scared to dive after that. Thats one tough guy. Hopefully good things happen to him
This video/story, should be REQUIRED for anybody who thinks they can just go into a cave/overhead restricted environment without being properly trained and certified...😱
*these guys WERE certified & bad things can still happen if EVERY part of the plan & all the rules aren’t adhered to.
So your saying I'm good to go...?
@@certifiedunapologetically well. Your name says Certified...
You are really ignorant. Pry just young and dumb. People that do these things have way more experience than "having to listen to this story", God, do you actually hear yourself and what you say?
@@montanamike7948 🤦♀️🤦♀️
@@montanamike7948 ...yea that's what they mean by they must be certified..
They weren't saying "watch this so you know what to do" it's aimed for the people who are not certified thinking that it isnt really that bad or that dangerous. To prove that even experienced certified professionals can get into these situations if every rule isn't followed. And how is am untrained person supposed to know the rules.
In short, get off your judging-insultimg high horse
Ballen handled this perfectly. I hope no one expects that he make contact with every party for first person first hand word. I believe he goes out of his way to do not only the best in-depth research he can but shows respect during his story telling.
He handled it like Id expect any mature adult to handle it. I'd hope as much considering he was a SEAL.
Isnt it nice when humans act genuinely, and respectfully. If only everyone acts and lives by how they would like to be treated
(as cliche and as elementary as it is). We are all humans, all bleed blood, let's get along, help one another, and live with good moral's you'd be surprised at how things change.
Raise your children right..
90% OF MR BALLEN STORY IS WRONG. Maybe he should do more research into what Actually happened instead of writing fiction (inventing details on his own)
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@@electrictroy2010 he tells scary stories. He never claimed to be a historian.
@@tonyvelasquez6776 scary stories? These are not creepy pastas, we are talking about real events romantized to make views, a man died ffs!
Man, I can feel how hard this was for Mike to re live. Seeing his buddy die right in front of him. I just want to say thank you for taking the time to tell us about the tragic event. I have the utmost respect for you and what you do. Honestly I don't know how you manage to fit through those restrictions with the massive balls you have.
I found you guys through Mr Ballen and I truly appreciate that Mr. Ballen told you to press forward with this. It's a great learning opportunity.
I remember Mr. Ballen's video with this so having Mike Young dispute the "facts" from the story with commentary from Gus and Woody was phenomenal.
This is a prime example of how even truths can be questioned in terms of authenticity.
The additional verification from Mike was super helpful.
Kudos, more TH-camrs need to do this type of video where authentic narratives are told.
Much appreciated!
Same here. Ballens “places you shouldn’t go” segments led me to these guys channel because of the youtube recommendations. The TH-cam algorithm actually did its job for once
Well said!
"I nearly broke his legs turning him around" sh*t just got real. [RIP Shane; Mike, you're an Aquatic Wizard.]
I would like to thank Mike for reliving this experience for us! This is the first mr. Ballen video I ever watched.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting!
We loved having Mike of course and we hope he joins us again!
Omg Mr Ballen is a brilliant storyteller. And he is addictive x x
Mr Ballen has so many videos you should watch all of them! he's the greatest Storyteller ever❤❤❤
@@tree6787 facts!!
@@tree6787 I wouldn't go that far. He is by far the best storyteller of this generation
Guys remember, Mike telling this story can be incredibly difficult. I mean he witnessed severe trauma with his experience. Very brave for telling your story and RIP Shane.
Although the MR.BALLEN's description wasn't so correct, I could see the core of the story. (If I understood it correctly)
- the cave had spaces/caverooms which were connected by small holes/restrictions.
-The swam together for a while.
- Shane was supposed to wait at a spesific location, but he didn't. (The confusion was where? At the entrance or at one of the holes?)
- Shane got stuck and paniced and began moving "hysterically".
-Shane did kick Mike (Altough details, e.g. the suit getting a hole in it were not in Ballen's description).
- They got seperated (and didn't get together before Shane had died)
- Mike found Shane's body, but left it to leave first and got the body back at a later time.
- The cave is closed off till this day.
This was a great, but sad story/video.
RIP Shane
I’m just in the middle of this and it’s amazing to me how Mike clarifies everything and how difficult this must have been to discuss so openly. 🙏🏼
Dude, Mike's story is even more terrifying than Mr. Ballen's.
I wasn't crying, it was just allergies.
@@lindzriddb I must be allergic to the same thing....
R.I.P Mike
@@soundinsight1076 R.I.P. Shane you mean?
@@soundinsight1076 Mike's alive!!!!
Brings a new meaning to “ walk the line”. Very scary situation keeping his composure during all this is so admirable. Thank you for telling us of your experience.
More mrballen reactions he’s got a lot of dive stories
It would be awesome to view the reaction from the guy that was sucked up into a nuclear plant cooling system
@@augustolantermino3485 he has a few id like to see if they were as "off" as this one.
There usually aren't many survivors in Ballen's stories
@@Cincinnatijames I live in Cincinnati cool name
I was so excited when I saw this video! So cool to have first hand information on A Mr Ballen video! Incredible story! Hope to see more!!!
As a person who loves mrballen and the way he tells stories it’s amazing to here from someone that one of those stories is actually about. I’d love to see more reactions to his videos because he does have quite a few dive stories.
Wow, you can tell from Mike's body language, this still strongly effects him to retell it. Good on him for telling his story anyways. Hope he has peace about the whole ordeal.
What a terrifying story. Every time he said he lost the line it filled me with panic. I can't *imagine* being in a situation like that, stuck hundreds of feet underwater in a tight cave with zero visibility and then losing the line. It's amazing that he was able to keep himself calm and methodically work his way out. Rest in peace Shane.
The systemic problem solving that Mike demonstrates under tremendous pressure and the good decision making under the same circumstances is next level. What a hero.
This is exactly what I was thinking as he was telling that part of his story. I thought that this guy is definitely a different breed because I don’t know ANYONE who wouldn’t panic in a situation like that. I know I wouldn’t have had the same composure. The man is amazing for sure
Someone up above said, that they felt like Mike killed his dive partner 😳
@@nopressure8821 didn’t they all have go pros on and stuff tho like he said? I’m pretty sure they coulda caught some typa foul play
@@MuffingDaCabage no. It was a dive. If you go watch some more of dive talks videos. They explain in less than 60 seconds with the wrong environment, you could be alive, 30 second later paniciny, at 60 seconds, if that situation isn't fixed, dead...
@@nopressure8821 you are wrong. They said multiple times that they had gopros on and they were recording. And all of the footage was reviewed. Both Mike's and Shaun's.
Imagine the research necessary to put together a story that only investigators in Mexico had. Even if it wasn't entirely accurate, MrBallen deserves props for having enough of the story to feature.
*New* Mexico, not Mexico. Sandwiched between Arizona and Texas, in the U.S.
@@Luv2Dnce4 Oh so there's a "new" Mexico.- Homer Simpson
@@Galvatron1280 😆 Doh!
@@Luv2Dnce4 same thing lol
Poor Mike, I can't imagine what he feels to this day. I'm thankful to hear from him. This is such a cautionary story. Even pros can end up in a bad place.
Mikes attitude to plans and rules is excellent and it has obviously saved his life and possibly others. It is extremely important for everyone to stick to the plan, I have found the same thing. If you become complacent or ignore safety you are taking huge risks.
My father is a pilot and I have been with him through all matter of incidents and he is a big stickler for plans and rules. And I suspect its similar to cave diving in the sense that when everything goes right it is as safe as crossing a road but as soon as something goes wrong it can become a huge problem very quickly.
He tells me of so many accidents and fatalities that happened because someone decided to ignore the plan. The worst ones are when the unqualified passengers force the pilot to fly in unsafe conditions. I know my dad and I have survived some nasty incidents only because he is pedantic about plans, rules and safety. Including rented plane engines catching fire.
I know that this video was not to disrespect Mr.Ballen . this video was to teach. Even tho Mr Ballen used his resources to tell this story he did it because it needed to be told. Much love to all of you guys getting together to make sure we knew exactly what happened
When I listening to Mike I'm amazed of how solid and mentally strong he seems to be. When he is talking about the moment when his friend died and he almost died himself, and then had to decompress for two hours afterwards without being able to anyone about about what happened. Then he went back to go back in to get the body of his friend the next day. He doesn't brag or try to make himself appear tough, on the contrary he appear to be very modest. (In strong contrast to a certain cowboy with the initials D.C. 😉 Yes, I'm binge-(re)watching Dive Talk episodes tonight.)
... and now I've watched again. 😂
Yes, very strong. although if u pay attention to body language, especially his anxious rocking/inability to sit still.. it's painfully obvious this was terribly traumatic & he's still dealing w the after effects all these years later...😔😔😔
@@dahnmason3243 I've got a terrible crush on Mr Young.
Did you miss the part where he said he met safety divers and actually scribbled on a pad the other person died. He mentioned it quite clearly
You also need to think about the fa t hisfriedm, in hi stupid act to try to gain forward and wiggle further in, almost killed him. While I was watching, I kinda felt he is/was still angry about this.becaise of his friends actions, it almost got them both killed
This is really cool, to hear the story from someone that was there.
Also I’m glad the guy with blue shirt was asking “naive” question because I’m also clueless when it comes to cave diving.
I also want to say that Mr.Ballen story telling skills are so good, I always listen to his videos when driving to work.
Daniel, glad you liked it. I wanted to be sure even non divers knew what Mike was talking about because a lot of it is very technical dialogue.
Just the idea of underwater caves combines my two biggest fears into my worst nightmare. Occasionally my love of horror stories sends me down the rabbit hole of accounts of cave dives gone wrong. Ironically, it's given me an ENORMOUS RESPECT for people who dive responsibly. So many of these stories hammer home just how valuable knowledge and experience is. All I can say is listening to people like these gentlemen might just save your life.
*HOLY. SHIT.*
Just listening to Mike's description of the restrictions makes my chest tighten, gives me anxiety, and makes me feel EXTREMELY claustrophobic! 🙃
Melissa, yep amazing stuff and scary.
OMG same! I was super uncomfortable listening to the details of what happened. My heart was racing and I caught myself holding my breath for some reason. I even paused the video for a few minutes to calm my nerves a little. I've never experienced that reaction to someone verbally telling a story. It was intense to say the least!
I can’t even imagine what it must be like to go down into the dark to pull out the dead body of your friend, and I feel so horrible for Mike.
Most people can’t deal with seeing dead bodies, and even less so a dead body left after a friend, and in a deep claustrophobic environment, under water, and on top of that seeing the evidence that your friend died in panic with his suit all ripped up and his oxygen running out. Absolutely nightmarish all the way around.
I can’t even believe the level of mental strength it would take to go down there again into that sort of environment with the explicit purpose of looking for the dead body floating in the dark. Just thinking about it makes me dizzy.
I’m glad Mike survived, and that he can continue with what he loves despite losing his friend.
Thankyou Mike. It must've been really traumatic to retell this, even after all these years. As a Mr Ballen fan, I know he always trys to be as accurate as he can with the information available to him.and so it's no surprise that he has welcomed being corrected by you. Thankyou for sharing your story. RIP Shayne.
MrBallens account is the definition of a telephone game story. Just enough information that, compared to the actual story, it’s technically correct. Only it’s somewhat out of order. He’s just sooo good at story telling. I’ve binged every video he’s put out.
Also, what a story. It was kind of hard watching Mike recount it. I can’t imagine going through that. Respect.
When you hear what Mike was doing to try to get his friend and him out my heart goes out to him, rip Shane 💜 I was in tears when he said he found him and tried get him out with him what a guy 💜 he did everything he could to try to get them both out ok 💜
I love how you guys just cleared everything up without bashing him! This was intense! Had me at the edge of my seat not gonna lie!!!
Also I’m so stoked I found this channel
Yeah let’s not go bashing a decorated war vet
90% OF MR BALLEN STORY IS WRONG. Maybe he should do more research into what Actually happened instead of writing fiction (inventing details on his own)
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What a tragic story that highlights the dangers of this kind of pioneering and how easy it is for a super experienced diver to go into a huge panic and pass away. Mike’s stoicism whilst telling the story of his friend’s death is incredible. I can't believe his composure. Thank you for sharing this, I'm a new diver and I've learnt so many lessons from your videos, even ones that are about things like this that I will never ever do. Many valuable things here for all levels of diver.
I'm really happy you guys made this video, I researched this particular incident as much as I could online and the most information I got was from one of the team members who stated on a forum, 'We aren't going to go into details.' and a vague mention of not following the plan and panic. So I am really happy to hear the firsthand account from Mike.
Mike’s channel is CRIMINALLY underrated. He has some truly incredible diving footage and only around 300 subs
I know! I feel so bad about that!
Travis? Absolutely agree. Amazing stuff by an amazing person.
Only 300, what!!! I can't swim or cave dive, I have extreme respect for these guys, I'll be subscribing, because, so cool to see things I would never see 🌟🌟🌟🙋🏼♀️✌️.
805 subs now 😁😁✌️💞.
@@DIVETALK 805 subs now, and will rise I bet, it just depends what comes up on the TH-cam feed, what you guys do is amazingly brave, I will watch now I know, I love love octopus, so a lot of that comes up, but I can't swim so I've never looked up diving, now I'm subbed, and I thank Mr ballen and TH-cam for sending me here 👍😀.
I can't even swim, and the idea of caves terrifies me, but this is one of my favorite channels. So well done!
Bitsy, we are honored you said this.
Cant wait for you guys to collab with him as well your personalities would mesh super well
The situation with the New Mexico site sounds like a major difference in geology. The caves and springs in Florida and the Bahamas are in limestone territory that has been subjected to millions of years of flow through of water, forming passages, room, cave formations. From the sound of things, the New Mexico site is in hard (or harder) rock territory featuring piles of broken large boulders and rock blocks. Definitely no place for a recreational diver of any type
I actually found this Channel Dive Talk, after watching a few of Mr Ballens Dive stories It gave me an interest in Cave Diving, Not that I’ll ever Do it, I have a whole new respect for The Diving Community, You guys courage is Amazing!
Thank you for checking us out!
I’m glad that I found Mr Ballen’s channel because his stories have spurred me to research further into these stories that would have either gone unheard. I do appreciate that the hosts made it clear that the intention of this segment was to hear the first hand account of the story and not to discredit Mr Ballen as a story teller. Considering the frequency of his posting schedule it is not surprising that some of the details don’t line up because only so much research can be done in preparation for these videos but at least the effort is being made to tell the story in a compelling way.
Jayme, absolutely no discredit to him at all. In fact he deserves tremendous credit for making everyone aware of this incident. We are big fans of his .
I have to say, I appreciate the time that you always take pause and explain the technical diving terms. The instructor in you shows because it takes a true professional to recognize what other people won't understand. Thanks for making such great content.
Mike reliving this must be difficult. He was a friend, a dive buddy, who he then had to hold in his arms. It’s great the story shows the dangers of cave diving, my heart just breaks for Shane and Mike.
I can't imagine that decompression. Just being forced to sit there for hours in complete silence, nothing to do but think about your friend you just lost. It must have been so hard to try and stay calm with that on your mind.
I can't imagine the pain he went through having to recover his friend. My heart goes out to you.
Sounds like Ballen got his information from the point they turned around and Mike had Shane in the lead onward. If you start his telling there it makes much more sense. I would say it is the problem if someone reading a report and not having enough context to make sense of the timing and doing their best to use it out. So awesome that you guys had Mike bring the clarity
I was thinking the same thing, regarding story point/context. I think you're right.
Agreed ☺️
I was thinking exactly the same thing. Ballen told it from the turnback on.
That makes alot of sense
Shane was my tech diving instructor for both open circuit and CCR tech diving. I did numerous other dives with him after the training and enjoyed his company. After his death I always wanted to know what happened during that last dive. Even though this is many years after his death I truly thank everyone involved in the making of this video to bring the events and truth of the day.
You can totally tell at what point of the story that Mike started to panic. It shows on his face and in his voice when he spoke of coming face to face with Shane.
That's pretty close to the part I started panicking. And I was on my couch, safe as can be.
I'm so proud of you guys! You've gone from less than 10,000 subscribers to nearly 20,000 in just a month.
I'm so glad I can say I've been here since under 10k.
You are definitely gonna have 100k or more someday.
I also love the budding bromance going on between Dive Talk and Mr Ballen. Mr. Ballen is how is how I discovered your channel.
I'm very glad you made a point that the errors in this video aren't necessarily him just making stuff up and I'm also glad he was so supportive of you making sure the real truth is out there.
Thank you Maya for supporting us for this entire ride!
I also discovered these guys from Mr Ballen channel. Stoked and subscribed to these guys immediately
@@koreyhayden1368 well thank you!
@@DIVETALK absolutely! I also think you guys should have other divers from Mr Ballens stories and have them react, this is super cool to hear it from the person too
Major respect to you guys. I love MrBallens channel and I am so happy on how respectful you are with MrBallens storytelling. I’m so sick of people tearing each other down,especially on you tube. What a fresh breath of air Dive Talk.
I LOVE mrballan. By far my favorite channel. Normally he’s pretty good about getting the stories right but this particular story has been told so many times that it’s very easy to get certain facts or time lines muddled a little bit.
Mike dealing with all the what ifs, and what could I have done different, really hits me hard. Very familiar with that feeling.
Been doing it 30 years, since my crash, and losing the woman I loved. Drunk driver hit us, and she died instantly. Even if you know ut wasn't your fault, it still feels like it is.
Praying for you Mike.
I cried! Thanks Mike that he told us the story. It must be still painful and emotional. You have immense mental strength that you did retrieve him the next day. I can't imagine the thoughts racing through your head back then. Respect.
I love this crossover. Having an actual person from one of his stories clarify and give a first hand account of the story is actually so cool 😭 pls give use more if possible! Lol
He’s such a real dude. Legit story teller.
My fav.♥️
The type of guy who would make an amazing K-12 teacher.
I’m incredibly claustrophobic and don’t see myself ever diving, but it’s obvious Mike is incredibly gifted in this field and has such strength of character. I learned so much that I can apply to life simply hearing about how he managed to stay calm in such unbelievably sad, horrific, dangerous circumstances where a bit of panic would have cost his life. For this reason, though ripping open that wound must have been incredibly painful, I’m grateful for the opportunity to hear him speak out. I hope I’ll never be in a life-threatening situation where I need to recall this lesson, but if I am, I’m grateful that knowing this might save my life.
Mike is such a badass. The fact he was able to maintain his composure through this dire situation is amazing. Real shame Shane didn’t make it out. RIP
Mr B Allen is the best story teller on the internet 👏🏿 hands down 💪🏿👍🏿
I agree 100%.....but I think storytelling is the operative word.
I thoroughly enjoy listening to him but I have to think campfire storytelling.
He's honest, straightforward and genuine.
He's an amazing awesome guy.
Yeps.. B..... Allen Is the best story teller on the internet.. *snickers*
Mr Ballen not B Allen
@@paulanthony5274 His name IS B. Allen, but his moniker for his TH-cam channel is MrBallen
@@CherylPix62 actually his first name is John
Thank you, Mike, for telling your story. It was really great to hear the true version of this and I appreciate you going back to that situation so you can share it with us. I learned SO much from this video. Thanks, Woody & Gus too for pausing at times to make sure the vernacular was explained. I really enjoy learning the terminology.
Also congrats on the massive growth! I swear you were just at like 17.8K last night! This growth is so deserved!
Pro tip, because I've noticed this in a few of your videos, when holding a small object up close to your camera for us viewers to see the details of to get it to focus on the "up close" object you simply just need to put your other flat hand up directly behind the object which gives it a much bigger profile which will then cause the camera to shift the focus on to the closer object instead of what's behind it. Love the videos! 🍻
I'm from Mr. Ballen's channel. Even though I already knew how this ended, Mike's detailed account was so interesting, I was on the edge of my seat, the whole way. I subscribed to his channel and yours, and I'm looking forward to seeing more from
Dive Talk. From California, Rachel
I felt for Mike even when just hearing about it on Mr. Ballen’s video, but watching this video and hearing from Mike himself is such an intense thing. I imagine this kind of experience follows and haunts you, and I hope Mike has been able to mentally heal from it. It sounds like he has, and is able to continue doing the things he loves.
I think you imagine correctly or from what I can hear in his voice.
And also as for healing, I think so, but leaving a significant scar. Not one that disfigures it simply never fades or is forgotten.
@@theredrover3217 I’m definitely no stranger to the scars that a traumatic experience will leave. I think that’s another layer to why hearing the story from him hit me so hard.
Thank you for reliving this undoubtedly awful day, I remember listening to Mr.Ballen tell it he’s great at doing justice to a story but hearing it from the person who lived it is incredible. I have to go calm my claustrophobic self now though! Excellent video guys & again thank you for the clarity to the story.
The second time I have watched this. My first comment last year was how angry you must have been. But now I see this... I see how painful this was for you to share and re-live as you lost a friend who had made a couple bad choices. I bow to your amazing skills and straight up sanity. Thank you and blessings to you Mike.
I am so sorry that you were put in a more dangerous position than it naturally is. You being a pro saved your life and had Shane not been in full panic he would have lived as well. Had Shane stopped when he was told this tragedy would have been averted. You are a hero and I hope you realize that.
I won't fault someone for panicing.. . I think I might do so myself. Something I do know, however good or bad your chances of survival are, panic reduces it DRASTICALLY.
@@debibrewster9080 He disobeyed the plan and the rules and then panicked, putting his friend's life in danger and then actively trying to kill his friend in order to get out himself. If he is that weak of mind, he should not have been cave diving at all.
@@debibrewster9080 not true panic in all areas make you make horrible decisions and more mistakes, don’t panic. My mom panic and almost killed me and herself scuba driving I was able to calm her so she can think. You don’t think when your panic. Every chase chicken till they fully panic and stop watching where they going and get themselves suck. Being afraid or scared is normal but try not to go into full panic. My mom completely lost herself it was scary to see but I stay calm. It was more scary to see her in pain than the person that put a gun to my head that was robbing my car.
The key to staying ca that can better your chance to live is to accept death. Know it a natural part of life make up your mind I going to dead one day. If you embrace death than when terrible thing happen you can get your from panic and be like I can now see if they a way out.
The worst thing is when a crowd panic they kill more people by crushing them than running out in a more orderly fashion. Also panic can cause you to have a heart attack which happen to a few people including animals like chicken that over panic. Panic isn’t good for you period.
@Pula Paw I'm not seeing the post you are responding to, but I think you need to re-read it. I would not ever say panic is a good or helpful thing. Perhaps if surviving involves running fast and far, panic could add speed to your efforts.... I think that panic severely decreases your potential for survival. Whatever the situation, however dire the potential outcome, panic robs you of your chance of survival. Fear is normal, yes. To not feel fear in a dangerous situation is not bravery, it's being too stupid to recognize the danger.
@@debibrewster9080 I of course agree that panic is probably leads to poor survival outcomes in 99% of scenarios. I also have to assume that panic is an evolved response, and exists for some reason. You mentioned that perhaps panicking and fleeing from a situation might be successful in limited circumstances... If perhaps you were already being pursued by a predator and targeted as prey. We know that if you stumble upon a bear or large cat that suddenly bolting will likely trigger them to pursue you, but if they are already chasing you or have made the decision to attack, panicking might theoretically improve your chances and allow you to make rapid yet probably uninformed decisions. In a time critical situation, I'm guessing that making imperfect decisions very quickly is a better strategy than carefully considering your options. Evidently panicking worked often enough to allow enough of our ancestors to live long enough to reproduce. It makes sense though that panic might not work as well in a technologically mechanically complex world where apex predators are at the bottom of the list of causes of sudden violent death.
As a Mr.ballen fan I'm so excited you guys did another video and even reached out to him to make sure it was ok(which of course it would be, he's such a cool guy who loves stories).
Please keep doing theses reactions to his dive stories!
excellent video and description!
- When exploring, keeping track of everything you learn is far more important than anything else.
-"make your plan and dive your plan"
- "Stop thinking, act"
- "the main goal of a diver is to live"
- " gas calculation"
- " thermal protection" ...and more
That is why Mike survived on this. his experience and inspirational training kept him alive and calm to act. Excellent cave explorer!
(Thank you for telling the story)
I'm sorry for the cave diver who had this accident.
RIP Shane.
Glad Mike made it out safely and as calm as he could. I'm not a diver but man it takes a special kind of person to do this kind of stuff and I think that's why I find cave diving so interesting. Thank you DiveTalk for a very informative and interesting channel
I thought 51 minutes on one Mr. Ballen story wasn’t going to hold me, but, man, I was wrong! Thank you for sharing your story. I’m certified and have been recreational diving since I was 13 years old (my parents are recreational divers). I was surprised at how much of this I didn’t know and how different it is from recreational. Please keep doing reactions ❤️
Thanks for the encouragement.
Holy Hell! Thank you so much for doing this. I love Mr. Ballen as he could keep me enthralled even if he's reading the back of a cereal box. I know nothing about diving, but watching both your facial expressions as Mike talks about what happened really got to me. I cannot even begin to imagine what Mike went through. I'm grateful he shared what happened with us.
There's really nothing to read on the back of a cereal box
90% OF MR BALLEN STORY IS WRONG. Maybe he should do more research into what Actually happened instead of writing fiction (inventing details on his own)
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@@electrictroy2010 you're exactly right
@@electrictroy2010 Well, alrighty then. Apparently this video hits home with you. I'm sorry for your loss or whatever stress this has caused you. I do not know Mr. Ballen, but I doubt he would ever want to hurt someone with his videos. I hope you are getting the help you need to get through this stressful situation.
@@shoelessdaishi2754 guess I'm showing my age, then, as my reading cereal box days were prior to every person owning a computer, cell phones, etc.
I love the creator respect and relationship developing here! ❤️ The dive guys will attract more views, subs by reacting to MrBallen’s videos, and surely they know this, and hopefully are grateful.
Therefore being in touch with each other, making sure this is done to bring the proper facts to light, and to educate is very important. As it shouldn’t be about pointing fingers at anyone. In this day and age there is already WAY too much of that negativity! And MrBallen is truly one of the most respectful story tellers on this platform. He’s one the few I have seen be in touch with family members, authors etc... Making sure he tells these stories in the most respectful way, even changing names or leaving out information when necessary.
And let’s be real, a lot of creators abuse the TOS and would probably just hit you guys with a copyright strike!
Exactly!!!! Very well said
I just really like how Dive Talk are not "calling out" MrBallen or anything because of the missinformation in his video. Instead, they point out that MrBallen did his best with the info he could get, and the videos serve to compliment each other rather than being part in some sort of feud. Very cool!!