Is cave diving the most dangerous sport?

[Rick Murchison]

Rockhound once bubbled...
Riding motorcycles on the street

I will ride dirt bikes in the dirt.
I cave dive.
I dive deep.
I've landed jets on aircraft carriers at night.
I've been shot at by communists.
I've flown places real fast and real close to the ground and upside down.
I've been seriously hurt - even written off for dead once.
But there is no way I'm ridin' a motorcycle on a street!

Rick

 

[PhreefalN]

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.


I couldn't agree more.....Out of all the things that I have done in the past....I have always felt that I will be taken out by someone as I am driving to work....It is one of the most dangerous things we will ever do...And most of us don't even think twice about it..I am not a Cave diver (I would love to be trained in it someday)..but from what I seen about it....It is like other "Extreme" activities....It is taking your skill set to the next level. Like Skydiving to BASE jumping or Running to 24 hr marathons. For the most part the people that choose to take it to that level, understand the risks...they are calculated risks. So, they get the training / right equipment and are able to participate in the sports for a long time w/ little or no injury. It is unfortunate, that the only exposure that most people have to these sports are incident reports on the 10 o'clock news...After some "Knuckle-Head" sees a Mountain Dew commercial and thinks it would be cool to buy a BASE Rig on Ebay an fling himself off of a local FM tower!...This is the kind of stuff that makes "Real TV"...not one of the thousands of successful scuba dives or skydives that end as planned..nice and safe ...for the next time. Thats not what sells. And it sheds a lot of negative light on "Extreme" sports. I'm sure some of you have 100+ cave dives....I have friends who have 100s of Base jumps w/ no injuries..So, if done the way it is supposed to....it can be done safely (again, a calculated risk)...Anyway, sorry about the long post. I have had this crazy / dangerous conversation, too many times. You either understand why people gravitate to sports like that ...or you don't..there is no middle ground..So, whatever your "Thing" is Diving/flying/jumping/speeding, get the training / equipment..stay safe...the longer you are here...the more jumps/dives you can log. and remember, over 200 people each year, in the US, poke out their own eye w/ a drinking straw. Now, that is dangerous.

 

[Former FLL Now MSP Diver]

FLL Diver once bubbled...
BTW, I think the most dangerous sport has to rebreather diving, regardless of the brand. They seem to lose a disportionate number of divers to the number of units out there.

Marc

I found this on another board. Rather interesting....

Subject: Re: Near Inspiration Deaths - stats from Diver Magazine.
>Date: Sat, 24 Aug 2002 18:52:20 -0700
>X-OriginalArrivalTime: 25 Aug 2002 01:52:21.0191 (UTC)
>FILETIME=[0CF19D70:01C24BDA]
>
>Just a note of what I read in Diver magazine today regarding fatality
>statistics of the Inspiration:
>
>"Are more people dying on CCR than on normal scuba gear? On a straight
>'number of people using the equipment v number of deaths' comparison, the
>answer appears a resounding yes. In the UK, there are, say, 100,000
>active open-circuit divers and about 15 deaths per year - about one death
>per 7000 users.
>For Ambient Pressure Inspirations, the most popular closed-circuit
>rebreathers, there are an average of three deaths per year for more than
>3000 users; that's roughly one death for every 1000."
>
>- Diver Magazine, Sept. 2002, Pg 27


Marc

 

[Lost Yooper]

Most dangerous, or the least forgiving? I suspect most people mean that it's one of the least forgiving sports out there. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but I don't particularly care to find out .

Mike

 

[MikeFerrara]

When it comes to media, books or films I think there are two goals behind using the term "most dangerous sport. the fist is simple sensationalism to sell the book or film. The second, I think is an attempt to not encourage divers to enter caves.

Nothing is safe but I too worry more about the drive to the cave than the dive in the cave. I do not cave dive to feel like a daredevil and I have no intention of dying in a cave.

cave divers are trained in procedures that first of all avoid trouble and secondly deal with things if they do go wrong. When done by the book it would take alot to keep you from comming out.

Yesterday my primary light failed in Roubidoux. Aside from causing us to end the dive and that I now have a broken light it wasn't even an inconvenience. Between my backup (one of two) and my buddies primary there was no shortage of light. If a dive is planned correctly a loss of gas should be no more a problem.

Due to the more stable conditions I feel more secure in a cave than I di in OW.

 

[maddiver]

The avg cave diver penetrating a cave is less at risk than the avg couch potato venturing for that 3rd bag of chips and another frosty cold one....Remember that next time you are spending some quality time on the couch with monday night football and the party bag of Ruffles ;o)

 

[Divesherpa]

The bit about visuals was quite nice. It's sad how many people actually make visuals, especially at Ginnie. I saw two teams doing it tonight.

To the general question, Cave diving is safe if you follow a few simple rules. That's all you have to do. You simply have to follow them to a T (no pun intended).

Cheers

 

[thethumper]

Ok....Here I go again.. As I've said, we're not certified, but start in Nov. & have been caving for nearly 15 years. It's past time to get the "proper" training. But everything has it's risks. Some more than others. There's one simple way to put it :

Everyone has a plan until they're hit. It's what you do after you get hit that is the deciding factor. :loopy:

David

 

[Peat Bogg]

:deadfish:
Interesting replies to the subject. I just want to add this. No matter weather your caving, or base jumping etc... the sport is only as dangerious as the person doing it.....I met Sheck once several months before his death. He was divng at Ginnie. He was very nice and unassuming. He and his buddy were going through a check list and each was throughly checking the other one's gear. What impressed me was they were working as a team with safety as the ultimate goal....Yet he did die in a cave. Where Sheck went wrong was he broke his own rules that he laid out for the rest of us....I know Sheck was trying to break the 1000 foot mark. I dive with Thumper and he and I pracitce the same rules no matter what dive we are doing. We plan our dive and dive our plan. We use the rules outlined by cds/nss and nacd....He can rig up my stuff and I can rig up his. We know each others gear like it is our own. We dove the Speigel Grove in the keys and were treated like the freaks we are. We dove on reefs in open water but still carried our lights and reels and dived by 3rds. Why you ask?? because it was habbit. We found a few swim throughs on the reef and a few caves that are created by the coral growing around the local currents. We were safe and explored and had a good time. My wish for all of us is to come back alive. It was a big shock to me when Sheck died. I actually felt scared. Scared that the " Dive God" Sheck perished. Maybe we shouldn't be caving. But ultimately I believe his death made the sport safer. Our beloved mentor and leader is now gone. When your in Branford at the Steam Boat Inn or at Bill Rennakers shop or any number of places where cavers congrigate they mention Sheck with respect reverance and in hushed voices. He is still respected and missed very much. His legacy is why we practice safety and dive with rules. But you have to respect the cave too. I have aborted several dives when nothing apparent was wrong. Every once in a while I get a little voice popping up in my mind and it says "don't go this isn't right". So I don't. to answer the question is cave diving the most dangerios sport?? :smbat: I don't think it is but it is the most unforgiving. Once your out of air its all over but the twitching.....with much respect I bid you safe diving...

Peat
:rfish: :blfish: :singfish:

 

[Peat Bogg]

I only have one other thing....Are you "firedivers for real?? I think that is absolutley nuts. I checked out the link but find it hard to believe. I would like to hear more on that subject.:scatter:

http://firediving.com/