Confused, Why should cave divers not dive to an excessive depth?

[DA Aquamaster]

OP lots of really good feedback from people that really do know cave diving . BUT noone has actually answered the question.
Taking all the other stuff they are talking about out of the story then NO there isn't any difference between being in a cave at 20m (60 feet) or being out in the open ocean. Pressure is pressure/depth is depth.

I disagree.

If I am, for example, at 130 ft in open water on air or nitrox and I feel impairment by narcosis coming on, I can ascend, 10,20, 30 ft until I am comfortable. If on the other hand I am at 130 ft in a cave on air or nitrox, the options for immediately going up are much more limited, and "up" may be several hundred feet back or farther along the cave passage.

Another issue is that visibility tends to be more constant in OW. Even if an area is silted out, it is generally limited either horizontally or in depth. And even if the whole ocean suddenly goes low viz/zero viz, I can still ascend to a shallower depth/lower END and then swim a compass heading without the effects of narcosis. In contrast, if the viz goes to zero in a cave, it can last for hours and impact the entire egress from the cave. Thus I now have to navigate on the line in low/zero viz, potentially for hundreds or thousands of feet at an same END that while ok in good viz, is now problematic in no viz.

The ability to not be able to immediately reduce END is a big difference, even if the water depth and pressure are the same in OW or in a cave.

 

[TSandM]

I disagree, too. I think we have explained that, although the water itself is no different, the environment and its demands are.

The mental processing required to remain safe in a cave is much more complex than that required to execute a simple dive in open water. Navigation can be complex and easily confused. Gas management has to be careful and attentive. Team cohesion is important, because a direct ascent to an exit is not possible. Narcosis plays a much bigger role in a cave than it does in open water.

I will dive to 100 feet in open water on Nitrox. I will no longer do that in caves.

 

[Big John]

The only difference in the water from a physics perspective is 1 atm in fresh water is 34 feet as opposed to 33 feet in salt water.

 

[blackvans1234]

This might be better off in the Advanced section, maybe even the CAVE DIVNG section

:mooner:

 

[karstdvr]

Sounds like the OP has run into Sheck's rules of accident analysis. In addition to lack of training, lack of guideline, not observing gas limits, and not having enough lights, diving to excessive depth was implicated as a cause of cave diving fatalities.

Of the 5 basic cave diving rules,deep has always had the biggest implications leading to trained cave diver fatalities. This has actually changed somewhat because we are seeing more trained cave diving fatalities for two factors-medical issues,and exceeding limits. When deep was conceived as a limit,mixed gas to reduce narcosis was not available,so you had cave dives well below 200ft in depth,that is why Eagles Nest earned the reputation as being one of the most dangerous cave dives. Still,deep needs a lot of respect,even with mixed gas,because less time is available to address problems-ironically Eagles Nest still has a fair percent of fatalities even with proper gas. All cave dives deserve respect,but deep adds another factor that makes the clock tick a little faster,and acute awareness is needed. This typically is why you see many deep cave dives require 100 cave dives prior to being able to enter.