"Open Water Diver Safe Cavern Dives" ???

[DevonDiver]

Since this thread started, there's been something like 6 diver fatalities in caves/caverns, and several reported near-misses (divers were rescued) all of whom had no overhead environment specific training.

...just saying....

 

[billgraham]

We are really not being pricks when we say this is a really bad idea and you need to get trained, bla bla bla. I know it probably comes off that way when you're an open water diver and someone's telling you to stay out of the cave, but you just have to trust us on this.

 

[Superlyte27]

Thanks for echoing my thoughts exactly. We want you to live, for varied reasons, but live all the same.

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

The only reason there aren't more untrained deaths is because equipment improvemever the last 20 years. That does not equate they are safe.

 

[stangd1909]

I think I have dove Paradise 30 times, and never once have I seen a silt up, Although i just go to the sign and stop. Paradise isn't a bad dive, very relaxing....it's never busy which makes it nice. The Blue Grotto is a mess.....to busy and to expensive for what it is.

 

[Superlyte27]

You weren't there Sept 22, 1996. It silted out, someone died. No cave training, no guideline.

 

[stangd1909]

Where did they die at, inside the cave itself? I think the most divers I have seen in there at once was 5 or 6, it's never busy when I'm there.....probably why I have never seen a silt out.

 

[NAM001]

I HAVE TO AGREE WITH Superlyte. You dont know what you dont know. We can all quible on what is a cavern and is not,,, but our definitions are too often tainted by our inflated belief in our personal abilities. I have dove with Superlyte in the caves as a student. And things can and do go south fast. There are no equipment shortcuts when caving. If ever an environment existed that requires buddy skills , communication, dive planning, COMPLIANCE TO PROTOCOLS and such, it is the overhead situation. ow diving is very forgiving. you can screw up all the way through the dive and surface in good shape. You do something stupid and you normally only effect yourself. NOT TRUE FOR THE CAVES. I am not a valid source as to the details of how things should be done however i have a pretty good idea on how things should not be done. And more importantly how fast things can turn from great to potentially life threatening crap. I can not think of a single ow experience that can compare to the level of stress that an cave overhead environment can generate. I like to think i am reasonable in handling steressful situations. I believe i do hanfdle pretty well. Most people do not have my background. The most important lesson that was reinforced , is that if you have air you have time not to panic. I doubt that an ow skilled diver truly understands that. loose a light, loose a buddy, equipment malfunction can very easily initiate a quickly deteriating situation that with training would be easily resolved.

I completely understand the FEELING that caverns are safe since If you can see daylight you can always head for the light and get out. The down side to this is that you do not have problems when things go right. One can enter a winding cavern and get 50 feet or so in and a cloud block the sun and there is no more light to swim to till the cloud passes. From that point the number of problems seem to be exponential to the number of buddies you are with. It is just not worth it. There is no substitute for training in overhead environments. This is not a NO BIG DEAL like an ow going to aow land. When it comes to,, especially, cave systems you truly dont know what you dont know.

 

[Superlyte27]

KWS knows first hand how things can go south fast. Sure, it was a fluke and in my thousands of dives it's NEVER happened to me, but it did happen to KWS. He had a brand new wing rupture. Wearing a set of LP104's he plummeted into the silt and vis immediately went to nothing. Sure, this is fixable, especially WITH training. But in an instant things went from very normal to very dark.

There are lots of people who tell me to quit wasting my time. People just aren't going to listen to good advice. I'm leaning towards believing them. It's the reason many upper eschelon tech instructors never post here. But, for now, I still believe if we can get the message across and save some lives.