Cave Diving
Cave Diving is a form of technical diving in which the diver explores natural or artificial caves, usually entirely underwater or partially submerged. It is an extreme sport that very few extreme sport enthusiasts are passionate about. For those who have
no fear of water, the dark or confined spaces, this sport is a unique activity.
Some cave divers consider it a form of therapy. A typical cave dive usually takes between one to two hours. During that time, the diver dons a scuba set and swims through a dark and watery world, while navigating narrow passageways. The caves can have unique
flora and fauna not found anywhere else. Stalactites and Stalagmites are often a common feature too. It is a rarely practiced activity because of the high level of skill required, as well as the specialised equipment necessary, along with the high risks involved
in cave diving. In spite of these risks and the high costs, water filled caves attract scuba diving and caving enthusiasts all over the world. Cave Diving came into being when Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Emile Gagnan, invented the aqualung in 1943. Jacques-Yves
Cousteau himself became the world’s first Scuba diver as well as the world’s first cave diver. After that, cave diving advanced in earnest, becoming one of the most extreme activities available to ordinary people who can afford to learn diving and buy the
specialised equipment required for it. Cave diving is one of the most hazardous extreme activities ever. It is very challenging and requires that the diver be extremely skilled at ordinary scuba diving i.e. technical diving. Cave diving requires a high skill
level on five main points. “Thank Goodness All Divers Live.” This is the mnemonic that is used to remember the five cardinal points to ensure safety while diving in mind:-
Training
Cave diving is taught in segments, which includes practical real world experience for a specific part of training. Each segment of training is succeeded by a more advanced segment of training. In this way, it is made certain that the diver is fully comfortable
performing the basic tasks and has the skill that is a prerequisite for the advanced segments of training. This minimises the potential for accidents and in the case of a real emergency, a diver trained in this way will know what to do, instead of panicking.
Guide Line
A guide line is a length of nylon rope that is maintained at all times by the leader of the dive team and the other end is fixed at selected points outside the cave entrance, in open water. It helps the divers in various ways. When visibility is poor, the
line can be used to navigate back to the entrance of the cave. In case of a silt out (when the divers movements causes silt and dirt to float around a narrow passage, reducing visibility) the guide line is essential in order to get back out. It is worth noting
that not using a guide line is the number one cause of all fatalities, related to cave diving.
Air Management
It is essential to plan the dive in such a way that air supply of the diver does not run out during the ingress (moving ahead in the cave), the egress (leaving the cave) and during emergencies. This is commonly known as the ‘rule of thirds’ in which the
dive is planned by allotting a third of the air supply duration for ingress, egress and emergencies. This is to make sure that the diver has sufficient time for any unforeseen delays while exploring the cave.
Depth Rules
It is critical that no diver should exceed the Maximum Operating Depth of the gas mixture being used for the cave dive. The consumption and the decompression obligation increases, the lower the diver goes. If the MOD is exceeded, oxygen toxicity is bound
to occur. There is also the increased risk of Nitrogen Narcosis. In nitrogen narcosis, the diver is breathing a larger ratio of nitrogen rather than oxygen and gets intoxicated by the nitrogen. This impairs movement and judgment and can prove fatal at low
depths.
Light
All cave divers must have three independent sources of light. One is considered the primary source and the other two are backups. If any one of the three lights fails for one diver, the dive is called off for all members of the team.
There are various hazards that a diver has to face frequently while cave diving. If there is any emergency, the diver cannot surface straight up to the air but instead has to follow the guide line back to the cave entrance and swim up from there. Visibility
in underwater caves varies from normal to extremely low or non-existent. This makes it impossible to see without the aid of an artificial light source.
Although not very popular among the majority of extreme sport lovers, cave diving is a unique activity unrivalled in its sense of adventure and danger. It takes a certain kind of personality that enjoys exploring caves filled with water far below the surface.
The underwater world is revealed in all its glory and beauty via the artificial lights, the divers carry with them. Being among exotic and alien flora and fauna, as well as a totally alien environment to explore, cave diving is an awesome activity.
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