Is cave diving the most dangerous sport?

[Rick Murchison]

Wendy once bubbled...
I beleive that the only cave diving accidents by trained cave divers weren't because they 'violated' on of the guidelines of cave diving, but rather for medical reasons.

The number one cause of trained cave diver deaths is exceeding the operational depth limits of the gas in use.
Number two (this one's really hard to believe) is failure to use a continuous guideline to the surface.
Third is violation of the gas management rules.
Rick

 

[sheck33]

know what happened to Steve Berman

 

[Rick Murchison]

Wendy once bubbled...
sadly the media often writes in the headlines that "Cave diver dies in local cave". ... Anything to sell a newspaper I guess

As a professional pilot and safety officer I was intimately involved with accident investigations for over twenty years. My oldest is an emergency room nurse who sees accidents nearly every day. We have both reached the same conclusion:
The newspaper never, ever, ever gets it right.
And trying to correct it is like trying to move a ten thousand pound marshmallow by hand - you can push and push and feel like you're movin', but the marshmallow doesn't budge one bit, and messing with it just gets you all sticky and gooey.
Rick

 

[Rick Murchison]

sheck33 once bubbled...
know what happened to Steve Berman

There's a nice write-up and tribute here
http://www.sptimes.com/News/052401/Floridian/Snatched_by_the_Devil.shtml
but no conclusions.
Rick

 

[WreckWriter]

Rick Murchison once bubbled...
Number two (this one's really hard to believe) is failure to use a continuous guideline to the surface.

You get complacent, I do the same on wrecks, sometimes boogie in without a line if I "know" the wreck.

Tom

 

[Rick Murchison]

WreckWriter once bubbled...


You get complacent, I do the same on wrecks, sometimes boogie in without a line if I "know" the wreck.

Tom

Oh, yeah, the temptation's tremendous - visual gaps of only a few feet... Everybody does it, right?... You can just follow me, I've done this a hundred times... Blind traverses... etc...
Rick

 

[Bottomfeeder]

MikeFerrara once bubbled...
Every TV show I see and every book I read that has anything to do about cave diving almost always describes it as the most dangerous and deadly sport in the world. Some of the people using this description are well known cave divers

Have you noticed that many of these TV shows and articles have something in common? Does the name Wes Skiles ring a bell? I don't know the guy personally, but I don't like the way he portrays cave diving in any work he has anything to do with. Of course, his portrayal does sell better than the real deal. The article in Reader's Digest was very typical of his nonsense. It's too bad; I am impressed with his camera work.

Cave diving is dangerous, but the risks are clear and easily defined and planned for. Done the way it's taught, it is fairly safe, at least to my sensibilities. Divng on deep wrecks in the ocean is a lot more unpredictable and far more risky.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Bottomfeeder once bubbled...
Have you noticed that many of these TV shows and articles have something in common? Does the name Wes Skiles ring a bell? I don't know the guy personally, but I don't like the way he portrays cave diving in any work he has anything to do with.

Wes is between a rock and a hard place, don't you think? If he portrays caving as "safe for trained cave divers" the general public will only hear "safe to cave dive" - and we don't want to give that impression. Even with all the constant DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! hype out there we still have far too many untrained folks venturing into caves and dying. Also, most of Wes' work is in extreme conditions - he's been on dives where everyone didn't come back.
There's a superb interview with him in the latest Fathoms that'll give you some insight into where he's coming from with his stuff.
Rick

 

[Rockhound]

I believe....

I don't cave dive, but I did when I was younger and foolish and ill trained. Thank God, I was also very lucky and was able to come to my senses BEFORE I came to my demise.

I thought I was smart, but I was just a dumb teenager, in love the idea that it was a cool thing to do.

I know 3 people who died cave diving and none of them were trained or qualified. Unlike me, they died before they learned the error of their ways.

Oddly enough, I am now a geologist and have an interest in such things (caves, karst topography), but time, money and two small kids keep me from oursuing the training I would need.

But, I know others who do pursue this sport, including a good dive buddy, and I believe that with their training and their equipment, the risks they face are no greater than that of many other sports considered "safer" in the traditional sense.

Cave diving, flying ultralight aircraft and sky diving are all considered dangerous by the general public, but all of them are reasonably safe when practiced correctly.

What common "sport" would I consider more dangerous than these "extreme" pursuits?

Riding motorcycles on the street comes to mind first. If you are in a cave, or flying a Weedhopper or jumping from an aircraft, your safety depends on your equipment and your ability to make decisions, both before and during the activity. On a motorcycle, your safety depends on a critical factor well beyond your control: The other guys sharing the street with you. Let me tell you, the number of idiots on the street is something you cannot control or deal with effectively.

 

[cavediver]

WreckWriter once bubbled...
BASE jumping.

Tom

worse yet, driving in south florida on interstate 95