Where I regularly dive, there are any number of interesting caves to visit. They range from the very small and tight “Grouper Cave” where a family of grouper live to the massive “Baldies Cave” which is the size of a church.
Before contemplating a cave dive you need to ensure your key skills are up to scratch:
- Buoyancy. It’s essential that you can control your buoyancy perfectly. In a confined space you don’t want to be bumping the ceiling or kicking up sand from the sea bed. if in doubt spend time practicing before you even think about entering a cave
- Finning backwards. You need to be able to fin backwards to withdraw from inside a tight spa
- Maneuverability. You have to be able to adjust your attitude in the water to allow for protrusions and to get round large rocks
- Equipment positioning. You must be able to reach all your equipment, even in a confined space, and know where it is instinctively in the dark
Assuming you have mastered all of those, you want to begin to think about the right gear for cave diving:
- Main torch and a back up torch
- Spare mask. It’s quite common for a mask to be kicked off in confined spaces, so carry a spare
- Spare air. A pony is a good idea if it’s a long penetration
- Rope. Rope can also be useful, to help mark an exit on a long swim through
- Kit security. It’s imperative that your kit is all secure and strapped tightly to your body. Snagging an octopus or gauge console can be serious in a narrow passage
What would you add to these lists?
With thanks to Mike Ziray who also posted about cave diving on his blog – you can read his post here
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