Cave diving in Tobermory

[swimmer_spe]

I am thinking of diving at Tobermory (Yes,, I have heard about the parking issue) I found out they have cave diving.

Anyone dive them? I am cavern certified, if that matters.

 

[Stoo]

The Grotto is the most common "cave" up here... It is really just a big hole and doesn't really require any special training. The most notorious cave is Leap Frog, first explored by Kim Martin and Terry German... it has been sealed since it was an insanely dangerous dive.

There are others like Spider Hole, but these are well beyond "cavern" certification...

A couple of old flics for you...

Leopard Frog:


Spider Hole:


(This was put together by my friend Carlos Fonseca who died diving in Ginnie a few years ago.

The Grotto: One of my shots that appeared in DIVER Mag a couple of years ago.

 

[swimmer_spe]

The Grotto is the most common "cave" up here... It is really just a big hole and doesn't really require any special training. The most notorious cave is Leap Frog, first explored by Kim Martin and Terry German... it has been sealed since it was an insanely dangerous dive.

There are others like Spider Hole, but these are well beyond "cavern" certification...

The Grotto: One of my shots that appeared in DIVER Mag a couple of years ago.

View attachment 418983

I notice in the picture, they aren't tied off.
And putting cavern in quotations makes me think you do not even know what it is.

60M from daylight. That is the basic definition.

 

[Blue Quaker]

There are no lines in the still picture that Stoo posted because the overhead portion in the grotto is only about 20ft long with daylight at each end and a rock floor with no silt to fog the vis. You don't even need a light to go through...some people snorkel it....The sites in the videos require a full cave cert + lots of experience to attempt to dive them. In Ontario most cave dives are sump dives, not deep but tight, narrow, low vis, technical dives requiring prior experience at that level to attempt them. That's why no one posts much info about them...keeps the body count down.

 

[Stoo]

I notice in the picture, they aren't tied off.
And putting cavern in quotations makes me think you do not even know what it is.

60M from daylight. That is the basic definition.

You're welcome for the information. And I am well aware what "cavern" certification is.

Let me answer your original question: There are no caves suitable for a cavern certification in Tobermory. People (including me) swim/snorkel through the openings into the grotto. Anything other than the grotto requires extensive skill and knowledge to dive. Cavern cert doesn't come close to the requirements.

 

[northernone]

The Grotto is the most common "cave" up here... It is really just a big hole and doesn't really require any special training. The most notorious cave is Leap Frog, first explored by Kim Martin and Terry German... it has been sealed since it was an insanely dangerous dive.

There are others like Spider Hole, but these are well beyond "cavern" certification...

A couple of old flics for you...

Leopard Frog:


Spider Hole:


(This was put together by my friend Carlos Fonseca who died diving in Ginnie a few years ago.

The Grotto: One of my shots that appeared in DIVER Mag a couple of years ago.

View attachment 418983

Thank you for this information and the videos which I enjoyed. I'm looking forward to Canadian cave diving when I'm down south.
Cameron

 

[swimmer_spe]

You're welcome for the information. And I am well aware what "cavern" certification is.

Let me answer your original question: There are no caves suitable for a cavern certification in Tobermory. People (including me) swim/snorkel through the openings into the grotto. Anything other than the grotto requires extensive skill and knowledge to dive. Cavern cert doesn't come close to the requirements.

Thank you for that clarification. I am not a fan of the tight caves.

There are no lines in the still picture that Stoo posted because the overhead portion in the grotto is only about 20ft long with daylight at each end and a rock floor with no silt to fog the vis. You don't even need a light to go through...some people snorkel it....The sites in the videos require a full cave cert + lots of experience to attempt to dive them. In Ontario most cave dives are sump dives, not deep but tight, narrow, low vis, technical dives requiring prior experience at that level to attempt them. That's why no one posts much info about them...keeps the body count down.

Good idea, however, it would be nice to know they exist so that one day we can aspire to do them. However, I also see why not talking about them is also good.

I have no desire to squeeze through anything.