Phil Murphy demonstrates the latest in cave diving technique -using cut down wellies for less resistance in the water. |
Cave diving is an expensive pastime if you have an ordinary income. It demands carefully chosen equipment, because lives depend on it. This equipment has to withstand the punishment from the hostile cave environment and the abuse we give it. It becomes worn out and needs replacing regularly. And yet....Nothing is straightforward. Cave divers are masters of improvisation. Rarely is anything that can be bought, designed solely for cave diving. A lot has to be adapted to suit the conditions. Things are held together with tape and old inner tubes. Not elegant, but functional. It's very easy to think the latest equipment is the best equipment, but it isn't always the case. (We try to convince ourselves, as our gear falls apart.) Simple, robust regulators are often better for the diving we are doing. They are less likely to go wrong and easy to fix - even within the cave. The basics have not changed for more than thirty years, except for deeper and longer duration dives, where equipment and techniques have improved vastly. The most important factors keeping cave divers alive today are better techniques and clearer awareness of the dangers. Better line laying, better gear arrangement, better emergency procedures, more back up lights, back up regulators, search reels, survey equipment, following rules of thirds, etc. |
| Cave diving fatalities are nearly always caused by human error. No one is infallible. Sooner or later a diver will make a mistake. Maybe by diving too deep, or something as basic as not holding the line or not having a backup. Cave divers can try to avoid dangers by planning dives carefully before hand and planning for when things go wrong.
The risks can be reduced to acceptable levels by training, experience, and keeping 'dive' fit. It's important to know your limits and be very aware of all the things that might go wrong and kill you. |
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