What exactly makes cave diving so risky, even if you have experience or are with a guide?
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Had a coworker that did this. He and his buddy went through a small hole into a large chamber, they explored for a while and when they were ready to leave they turned back the way they came from and there were five nearly identical holes. Which one had they entered through.
recommend listening to Donald Cerrone’s story on Joe Rogan podcast, good depiction of the panic a loss of visibility can cause.
Cave diving is a type of overhead diving environment. Typical Recreational diving relies on the diver being able, in an emergency situation, of surfacing directly…. ( in an emergency, the now required safety stop for any dive can be skipped) Overhead diving of any sort would prevent this. Plus the potential loss of visibility, either because of a power failure, or suspended ultra-fine particles completely obliterating visibility. You have to know what you are doing!
Professional extended diving and some recreational diving situations rely on an expensive and complicated series of decompression stops, and support people and equipment with all emergency contingencies arranged for. For each type of overhead environment, there are a special set of skills needed and specific certifications are required. Ways to kick flippers,breathing and re breathers for minimal disturbance, Ropes, cords, and techniques to be trained In…navigation and really mental ability.
In a cave system, it is naturally completely dark, and a long difficult way to the surface. Been awhile, but I believe that overhead environments of any sort, wrecks, caves, etc. have by far, the highest mortality risk in diving. In fact the vast majority of injuries… regular diving has quite an impressive safety record when the basic rules are followed.
If you want a good narrative about why it’s an awful idea even if you are trained and equipped you should read “The Luminous Dead” by Caitlin Starling. 10 kinds of nope on both caving and cave diving.
Read the book “Agaisnt All Odds” about the Thailand cave rescue of the kids soccer team. Such a good book and gives a real insight into the dangers of cave diving
This description is the only thing you need to hear to not go cave diving. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=or92IMcLoIc
You can’t see clearly and, well, you’ve managed to put yourself in a big dark hole in the ground that stinks of bat poop
You’re going into an enclosed space underwater. What more do you need to know?
Every part of your gear is mechanical. Mechanical devices occasionally fail. Malfunctioning regulator, leaking hose or fittings. Failing to manage air in tank. Plus risks of getting lost in the network of caves.
If you have an equipment malfunction during a regular dive, an emergency ascent is still an option (with its own risks) and soon you’ll be on the surface. In a cave that isn’t an option.
It takes as long to get back out as it took to get in. So if there are any problems you are hours from surfacing instead of open water where you go directly “up” and that’s the surface within some seconds.
Deep diving is similarly dangerous as cave diving as far as “time to surface” goes since you can’t shoot directly to the surface as that would cause nitrogen bubbles in your blood (on top of whatever emergency you already have). Deeper (as in vertical depth from sea level) caves could have this same issue requiring a few minutes hanging out at various stepped depths. THen you have to choose if your issue is more critical than having the bends which is at least terribly painful if not deadly itself.
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