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CAVE DIVING
Are you planning a CAVE DIVE but
you are . . .
1. Neither formally trained nor
certified in Cavern or Cave Diving?
2. Making one of your initial dives into a spring, cave, or blue
hole?
3. Not using at least two dependable underwater lights, a guideline
on a reel, a submersible pressure gauge, and an additional second
stage?
4. Are you diving with a single tank?
IF your answer was "YES" to any of these questions, then you are
typical of most cave-diving fatalities. Since 1960, more than 500
divers fitting the above description -- that is, untrained,
inexperienced, and improperly equipped -- have died in cave diving
accidents in Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean alone!
This message has been prepared as a public service by the Cave
Diving Section of the National Speleological Society (NSS-CDS) and
SMART Divers to help you avoid those mistakes that have frequently
contributed to the cave diving deaths of others.
NO AMOUNT OF PREVIOUS OPENWATER DIVING EXPERIENCE OR TRAINING CAN
ADEQUATELY PREPARE YOU FOR CAVE DIVING.
Regardless of their prior openwater experience, most cave diving
accident fatalities were untrained in cave-diving procedures,
inadequately equipped for the planned dive, and/or making one of
their initial cave dives. Many were extremely experienced in other
types of diving. No less than 19 were FULLY CERTIFIED OPEN WATER
SCUBA INSTRUCTORS without any training in the specialized area of
cave diving.
-- but
Interviews with the surviving dive buddies suggest that frequently
the divers originally planned only to take a quick peek "just inside
the cave entrance" -- that they weren't really planning a
full-fledged "cave dive." But in many instances the divers got into
trouble immediately -- "just inside the cave entrance!" In other
cases, they decided to continue further into the cave despite their
plan and became hopelessly lost. When their bodies were recovered
later, there was every evidence that their pre-death experience was
panic-stricken, horrifying, and filled with thoughts of their own
stupidity, their families, their dead buddies and their own lost
life.
Why did these divers drown? The answer lies in part with their
ignorance of the unique HAZARDS found in caves, and their failure to
prepare for, recognize and deal with these hazards appropriately.
For example, when cave diving, the cave CEILING restricts direct
access to the surface, making you completely dependent upon your
equipment and its proper function. Should an emergency such as air
failure occur, you cannot make a free ascent to the surface as you
would when diving in open water you must first swim out of the cave
the way you came in -- out, and then up. Yet many divers, unaware of
this consequence of having a ceiling, fail to plan for such an
emergency.
In addition, many divers also fail to realize that because of the
ceiling, normal openwater rules for air reserves are completely
inadequate in a cave scenario -- that it will usually take at least
as much air to exit the cave as it took to enter, since the divers
must swim back out of the cave the same way they went in. Any kind
of time-consuming problem or emergency, or the catastrophic loss of
an air supply by one of the dive team members, will require MUCH
MORE air -- even two or three times more air. Other divers depend
only on their dive light and memory of the cave to navigate the
cave's MAZE-LIKE PASSAGEWAYS. But should their dive light(s) fail
(which is very common, especially when a light inadvertently bumps
into the walls or floor of a cave) or memory fail, there are only
two things that will help them exit safely: having learned special
emergency procedures (reducing the panic factor), and having a
safety guideline connected with the surface.
Another unexpected hazard is SILT, or loose sediment that is found
on all underwater cave floors and walls. Some of the most popular
cavern and cave diving locations feature entrances which are nearly
silt free; yet just a few feet beyond the entrance, the floors are
covered with deep, potentially treacherous silt.
Normal open water swimming techniques can easily stir up silt,
reducing visibility from a hundred feet to near zero with only a few
strokes of a fin blade. Imagine swimming forward into clear,
beautiful water, only to turn around and see a wall of impenetrable
silt when you attempt to exit. Again, only having a continuous
guideline to the surface and having practiced and learned emergency
procedures will insure a safe exit.
The most important single piece of equipment for cave diving is also
the most hazardous to use. Many openwater divers have thought that
if they carried a guideline, they could explore a cave safely.
Nothing could be further from the truth, and there have been many
deaths as a result of these divers getting tangled in their own
guideline. Only formal cavern and cave diving courses can teach you
the safe and effective procedures for deploying, securing, and
following a guideline. Many hours of classroom, field, and
underwater training are devoted to guideline usage.
Yet despite these potential hazards, thousands of cave dives are
made each year in complete safety by those who have learned to cave
dive properly. They are divers much like you, differing only in that
they have completed the specialized training and have learned about
the quiet, strange and beautiful environment of underwater caves,
and respect the caves' unique hazards.
Cave Diving Training
The best way to become a safe cave diver is to first become a
certified scuba diver and to accumulate open water diving
experience. Then seek out a cavern and cave diving course. Do not
attempt to go cave diving without first acquiring cave diving
training. Remember, the vast majority of cave diving fatalities were
untrained in cavern or cave diving, and were making one of their
first cave dives. Remember also that reading a book about cave
diving is no substitute for the in-water training and skills you
will acquire under the expert guidance of an experienced, certified
cave diving instructor.
A highly experienced and seasoned cave diver once said that to go
from visiting an open water reef to exploring an underwater cave --
while causing the minimum damage to both the diver and the fragile
cave environment -- requires a quantum leap in experience and
expertise. The NSS-CDS and the NACD have developed the following
courses designed to provide you with the skills necessary to begin
to cave or cavern dive safely. Levels:
Cavern Diver
Many of the most interesting features of the cave can be found
within the "cavern," that area of the cave which receives surface
light. The objective of the course is to introduce the student to
the cave environment using virtually all regular open water
equipment. Lasting a single weekend, the course covers the cavern
environment, techniques, and philosophy. It also includes in-water
practice of safety and emergency procedures, and three cavern diving
sessions.
Introduction to Cave Diving
This course is for those cavern divers who wish to explore beyond
the cavern zone, but are not ready to undertake a full cave diving
course. It lasts one weekend and emphasizes the skills and equipment
necessary to dive that portion of a cave accessible on a single-tank
air supply.
Cave Diver Courses: Apprentice Cave Diver, Full Cave Diver
A two-stage program encompassing approximately 4 days or more of
highly specialized, private instruction in which the student is
taught the fundamental and more advanced aspects of cave diving,
including complex dive planning, advanced guideline protocols,
surveying and cartography, and stage diving (diving beyond the
normal limits of a dual-cylinder air supply). Completion of both
stages of the Cave Diver program is highly recommended before the
student attempts any unsupervised complex cave dives.
Conservation
You can choose between risking your life and cave diving safely, but
the cave has no choice -- it's there, and it and the surrounding
property are vulnerable to vandalism. Caves have unique scientific,
recreational and aesthetic values that should be preserved for
future generations to study and enjoy. NSS-CDS members must pledge
to do nothing that will deface, mar, or otherwise spoil the natural
beauty and life forms in caves. The NSS-CDS motto is:
Take nothing but pictures . . .
Leave nothing but bubbles . . .
Kill nothing but time.
As divers are conspicuous features around the springs and sinkholes
of Florida, Mexico and the Bahamas, much of the litter there is
attributed to them. Even though much of this litter arises from
casual visitors and swimmers, the NSS-CDS asks that each time you
dive, you take the time to pick up and properly dispose of a few
pieces. In this way we can each do our part to keep these areas
beautiful, to continue our welcome at them, and hopefully to
stimulate others to better conservation habits.
Additional information on cave diving safety, books, instructors in
your area, and newsletters may be obtained by writing to the:
NSS Cave Diving Section National Association for Cave Diving
PO Box 950 PO Box 14492
Branford FL 32008 Gainesville FL 32604
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