Eli5: Why is cave diving so dangerous ? To the point people with 20+ years of diving experience refuse to do so.
In: 17403
Please see [this answer](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/t9t4ig/eli5_why_is_cave_diving_so_dangerous_to_the_point/hzwgjku) for a more detailed answer. I was just giving what seemed to me to be the most obvious answer. In response to the most common replies:
1. it doesn’t matter if you can find your way out easily. You _still_ have to travel the same distance you went down _and_ the distance you traveled in the cave which is by necessity greater than if you could simply go up.
2. It doesn’t matter if you get the bends rising from 20m because you would _still_ have to travel back through the caves and then do the exact same rise and also get the bends.
3. Yes there are many other dangers and concerns. See the referenced comment above.
Original reply:
In open water if you’re in trouble you swim up.
In a cave you would have to find your way back out, meaning it’ll be a lot longer before you could surface even if you knew exactly how to get out.
You drive 20m down and swim horizontally for 500m, you’re still only 20m from the surface. Swim down 20m to a cave and 500m in the cave, you’re 520m from the surface.
Additionally it’s easier to find the surface if all you do is need to go up.
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