littlejohn
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TSandM well put.
Cave dive if uncertified
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Welcome to SB!!....hope you can over look some of the 'others' silly comments, must just be they forget that they were non/new divers at one time.....and more than a few still are truth be known!
I hope you can find a dive instructor or dive shop you can get started with in terms of basic open water dive training. It is a great pass time and sport!
In terms of cave diving, that is a scuba discipline that requires more advanced skills and addition training/experience.
Good luck and hope you get the opportunity to get involved in diving at some point in the future.
Apparently it does exist :11: or at least did 10-15 years ago. My boss told me she went to Andros Island in the Bahamas some time in mid-90's, and the resort took her (a complete novice) and a bunch of other people into a cave. She said she freaked out and instructor had to take her out even though she never lost the sight of the entrance. Other people according to her got as far as 40-50 meters into the cave -- although I suspect that's an exaggeration.
I suppose this counts as "cavern diving" as opposed to "cave diving", but still I was amazed to hear that anyone would take an uncertified novice even into a cavern.
The person who got me into diving was on a honeymoon trip to somewhere in Mexico about a year ago, cannot remember the name of the resort/town, I will find out shortly and edit the post if possible.
Anyways, they had what was (for all intents and purposes) a Cave, but was classified as a "Cavern" or something because of natural overhead lighting throughout some of the sections. The entire dive (save, obviously, the lit sections) was an overhead environment.
They were allowing OW divers to go through the whole thing. He said that several people backed out before the first hundred feet of overhead after entering.
But, to the point, it seems some places are a lot less concerned with safety and a lot more concerned with exploiting loopholes to draw tourist dollars. It's the same for any hobby really, or vacation activity.
Anyways, they had what was (for all intents and purposes) a Cave, but was classified as a "Cavern" or something because of natural overhead lighting throughout some of the sections. The entire dive (save, obviously, the lit sections) was an overhead environment.
They were allowing OW divers to go through the whole thing. He said that several people backed out before the first hundred feet of overhead after entering.
But, to the point, it seems some places are a lot less concerned with safety and a lot more concerned with exploiting loopholes to draw tourist dollars. It's the same for any hobby really, or vacation activity.
AbyssalPlains
Contributor
:no :no
AbyssalPlains
Contributor
As usual, I have to admit, TSandM takes the prize for the most thoughtful post. Inspiring, actually.
I am sure that uncertified divers have been guided into overhead environs here in Hawaii, on at least 3 islands. Hopefully it rarely happens on the first open water intro dive, but I'm sure that has happened also.
Depending on how much time you spend at Tunnels, Sharks Cove and Five Caves, you can see freedivers in the caverns, sometimes for over a minute traversing significant passages. The big wave surfers do their rock running just outside of the true caves of Sharks Cove.
Many of these non-divers are more comfortable and experienced in the ocean than the instructors conducting the DSD's! When one of them decides to do a true Intro to Scuba, the easy swim throughs and lava tubes are just that, easy.
At Five Caves, one cavern is called the bubble cave. It is not a bubble, the roof of the cave/cavern is above sea level, so even at high tide there is a surface area the size of a typical small hotel pool. The depth of the entrance is less than 20' with the air pocket ~30' in, and I have dragged novice freedivers in and out easily (freediving myself).
Many resort DSD divers come to the same resorts a few times every year, diving with the same instructors for years, without certification. It would be head-in-the-sand to believe that no instructors have conducted paid DSD's into the easy overheads of these three areas. If the person could do it with a snorkel, they could do it with scuba!
I know of certified divers that have requested to have their uncertified children taken to see the sharks (inside the caverns), and since some of those uncertified children are better divers than most certified divers, some have undoubtedly been inside.
If it's happening in Hawaii, it's probably happening elsewhere. This thread reminds me of "just say no" to drugs or premarital sex. If the person asking the questions knows the authorities are not telling the truth about the fact that it doesn't happen, then they probably question whether the authorities reasons not to do it are true as well!
Depending on how much time you spend at Tunnels, Sharks Cove and Five Caves, you can see freedivers in the caverns, sometimes for over a minute traversing significant passages. The big wave surfers do their rock running just outside of the true caves of Sharks Cove.
Many of these non-divers are more comfortable and experienced in the ocean than the instructors conducting the DSD's! When one of them decides to do a true Intro to Scuba, the easy swim throughs and lava tubes are just that, easy.
At Five Caves, one cavern is called the bubble cave. It is not a bubble, the roof of the cave/cavern is above sea level, so even at high tide there is a surface area the size of a typical small hotel pool. The depth of the entrance is less than 20' with the air pocket ~30' in, and I have dragged novice freedivers in and out easily (freediving myself).
Many resort DSD divers come to the same resorts a few times every year, diving with the same instructors for years, without certification. It would be head-in-the-sand to believe that no instructors have conducted paid DSD's into the easy overheads of these three areas. If the person could do it with a snorkel, they could do it with scuba!
I know of certified divers that have requested to have their uncertified children taken to see the sharks (inside the caverns), and since some of those uncertified children are better divers than most certified divers, some have undoubtedly been inside.
If it's happening in Hawaii, it's probably happening elsewhere. This thread reminds me of "just say no" to drugs or premarital sex. If the person asking the questions knows the authorities are not telling the truth about the fact that it doesn't happen, then they probably question whether the authorities reasons not to do it are true as well!
Papa_Bear
Contributor
Here is a Cave diving video under construction and is a rough cut! Take a look and see if it is something you might want to try and then get trained!
Two Tanked Productions HD & SD Underwater Productions and video services
Two Tanked Productions HD & SD Underwater Productions and video services
bamamedic
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I'm a pretty darn new diver....got certified last November, and I've only got about 22 dives so far.
I went diving at Morrison and Vortex Springs right after certification, and was incredibly intrigued by the caverns/caves there. After I got home, I posted on Scubaboard about my desire to take up cave diving, and was subsequently informed by quite a few experienced divers that it wasn't as simple as it seemed.
If everything goes right, it's not especially difficult, the problem is if things go wrong...you can't just go up to the surface and sort things out. You're stuck underwater, in a cave, for better or worse...and you've got to be able to sort out any problems while still underwater.
Diving is one heck of a lot of fun! A few months and several dives later, a cave diver/cavern instructor was nice enough to take me on a tour of the Jackson Blue cavern, which was an absolutely awesome place!
If cave diving interests you, the best thing you can do is do a Discover Scuba dive at your local dive shop. That way you can see if diving is something you actually like doing. The next step would be to get your basic open water certification. Then, if you're still interested in learning to cave dive, you can get Cavern certified. That doesn't require a lot of equipment changes, and it will allow you to check out a cave, just as long as you stay where you can still see natural light.
Hope it helps...if you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I'm certainly not an expert in the field, but I'd be glad to help
If you decide to get certified and go diving in Florida, PM me, and we'll go diving somewhere!
Have a wonderful day!
I went diving at Morrison and Vortex Springs right after certification, and was incredibly intrigued by the caverns/caves there. After I got home, I posted on Scubaboard about my desire to take up cave diving, and was subsequently informed by quite a few experienced divers that it wasn't as simple as it seemed.
If everything goes right, it's not especially difficult, the problem is if things go wrong...you can't just go up to the surface and sort things out. You're stuck underwater, in a cave, for better or worse...and you've got to be able to sort out any problems while still underwater.
Diving is one heck of a lot of fun! A few months and several dives later, a cave diver/cavern instructor was nice enough to take me on a tour of the Jackson Blue cavern, which was an absolutely awesome place!
If cave diving interests you, the best thing you can do is do a Discover Scuba dive at your local dive shop. That way you can see if diving is something you actually like doing. The next step would be to get your basic open water certification. Then, if you're still interested in learning to cave dive, you can get Cavern certified. That doesn't require a lot of equipment changes, and it will allow you to check out a cave, just as long as you stay where you can still see natural light.
Hope it helps...if you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I'm certainly not an expert in the field, but I'd be glad to help
If you decide to get certified and go diving in Florida, PM me, and we'll go diving somewhere! Have a wonderful day!
Bubblebreath
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I'm a pretty darn new diver....got certified last November, and I've only got about 22 dives so far.
I went diving at Morrison and Vortex Springs right after certification, and was incredibly intrigued by the caverns/caves there. After I got home, I posted on Scubaboard about my desire to take up cave diving, and was subsequently informed by quite a few experienced divers that it wasn't as simple as it seemed.
If everything goes right, it's not especially difficult, the problem is if things go wrong...you can't just go up to the surface and sort things out. You're stuck underwater, in a cave, for better or worse...and you've got to be able to sort out any problems while still underwater.
Diving is one heck of a lot of fun! A few months and several dives later, a cave diver/cavern instructor was nice enough to take me on a tour of the Jackson Blue cavern, which was an absolutely awesome place!
Hope it helps...if you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I'm certainly not an expert in the field, but I'd be glad to help
Have a wonderful day!
There is a 130 foot rule from the surface on cavern diving. If you are 30 feet from the surface you can go in a cave 100feet, if 100 feet from the surface you can only go in 30 feet,then only if you can see light from that point. In some caves it is possable to see light way past the point where you could make it out in an emergency, without proper equipment.
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