Waterville dentist among select few qualified to explore underwater caves

Scott Monroe - 

Stephen Klinker could have died several times while diving in dark, constricted underwater caves.

There was the time when both of his calves cramped up and he could no longer propel himself. He inflated a flotation device until it carried him up, where he could grab the cave's ceiling and work his calves until his legs could function.

Or the time he got tangled in rope, flipped upside down and his arm sank into quicksand-like silt and mud. Knowing he would be sucked in deeper with the slightest movement, he sent a distress signal and remained completely limp until his instructor could help free him.

Despite the close calls -- and, in a way, because of them -- Klinker relishes the challenge of cave diving. "Panic is not an option," he said. "This is a mind-over-matter situation."

Klinker, 54, lives in Norridgewock and owns Cornerstone Dental in Waterville. He is married and has four sons. He received his cave diving certification from one of the world's experts on Jan. 16, after completing the last of two required "perfect" cave dives.

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Photo Stephen Klinker

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