What surprised you?

[dsteding]

Oh man, I've always said cave diving wasn't for me. Ask Lynne, I want to dive wrecks, she wants to dive caves, right now we both just dive Puget Sound and practice and look at the fishies.

But, reading some of these descriptions has got me thinking that someday, when I have the base skills, cave training may be in my future.

 

[TSandM]

Doug, go look at the picture in the "Cave Panorama" thread . . .

 

[Meng_Tze]

As I'm looking at azzcadman's beautiful photographs, I'm thinking about the number of pictures and videos I've seen of caves over the last six months or so. And I know that the video lights and strobes create a picture which is different from the experience of the people who were there, and I'm quite sure that no amount of watching videos or looking at pictures is really going to be like the actual experience of cave diving.

So I thought I would ask: What surprised you when you first dove in a cave? What was different from what you expected? Better? Worse? Just different?

For me it was the darkness that sruck me. I always thought I had seen 'dark' playing in a cellar when I was young. But the first time with lights out...................that is DARK!!!

 

[BabyDuck]

because you're looking where your light is shining, you can see *so much more* than the pics/movies can usually convey. that was surprising.

how lovely it all is. how quiet, unless jean's singing or doing a 'dragnet' episode. how you're concentrating so hard that everything seems so easy.

how much i miss it...

 

[loquat149]

What surprised you when you first dove in a cave?

How incredibly FAST the time passes and how, like no other activity I'd tried, you're "in the moment".

Dave

 

[JimC]

I was surprised that the smaller and siltier it gets, the more I like it. So much so that I am often recounting the dive by how it -felt- instead of how it looked. I only wish I had discovered sidemount sooner.

 

[eandiver]

What surprised you when you first dove in a cave?

How fast time went by and the realization of just how little I knew about cave diving.

The feeling of acomplishment to just go from the ear to the lips and back.

 

[Daedalus]

The size of some of the rooms and passageways, the Ginnie Ballroom seems tiny now...

 

[Midnight Star]

I've always said cave diving wasn't for me

Cavern diving, and cave diving are just a little bit different to me. With one, you can still see the opening to daylight, where the other, you can't (you've penetrated the tunnel too far). I don't think i'd enjoy deep cave penetration due to the risks, but cavern diving ... oh man, that's a totally different story.

-----

Mike.

 

[KazInAz]

Never say never....when I started into the world of cave diving my intention was only to become cavern cert. just to improve my diving skills. I had no intention of going further or ever going back. I chalked it up to an once in a lifetime experience. Next thing I knew I was scheduling a full cave course..Ok thats done, complete. Hooked on cave diving but I'll never be into deep penetration.....wrong....within 2 week long trips to Mexico I was carrying a stage to go further....this last trip I was up to 2 stages (bottom time: 3hrs, penetration: 3700 ft)....I swear thats it....no DVP's........or will I?
I guess that's what surprised me most....how addictive the caves can be......still in awe after several trips and thousands of feet of cave tunnels.
Pics of our latest trip:
http://malone-az.com/pix/v/Scuba/Mexico/ak-06b/