Cave and Cavern Diving

familytents · 08-26-2012, 11:13 AM

I love living in my area. We have so many freshwater springs, sinkholes and underwater caves. I will never go, it's too dangerous for me, but what is the difference between cave and cavern diving?

Diver97 · 08-26-2012, 11:04 PM

Cavern diving is diving in an overhead environment but within line of sight of the entrance. The area will be partly lit with natural sunlight.

Cave diving involves diving farther into the cave well past view of the entrance. There will be no natural sunlight. cave diving is advanced diving requiring additional training and equipment beyond basic SCUBA.

Never cave dive without obtaining proper training.

Alan

Esperahol · 08-27-2012, 02:29 AM

Diver97 is completely correct, you will require training and you will require a partner. I don't care if you have gills and are the ******* child of an oceanic god - you take a partner or you don't go. That said many times a permit is required for cave diving so the question of whether you've trained and have backup pops up pretty quick.

familytents · 08-29-2012, 12:46 PM

So, does proper training for cavern diving apply too? Cave diving sounds much more dangerous, but I guess anything underwater has it hazards. I would definitely want backup for either.

Gunny Webb · 08-29-2012, 10:03 PM

Cave diving is divided up into 4 courses for almost all agencies, or 3 in GUE.
First is cavern, diving within sight of light of day, with one cylinder with 2 regulators, 2 lights and a reel.
Second is Intro. Using 1/3 f a single or 1/6 of doubles, 2 regs, 3 lights and 2 reels, mainline only, no jumps.
Apprentice is third. Same as full cave with limitations.
Full cave is fourth. Use of doubles with stages, 2 regs, 3 lights, multiple reels and trained to be in the water with a drysuit for 2 hours or more.
Price of training and gear ranges from 6 to 10K. You learn quickly how fast things can turn ugly. Big emphesis on gear configuration, use and safety. If you can't swim in a silt floor passage 2 feet high and leave it clear with no silt stirred up, you don't pass. If the instructor even thinks you aren't aware of everything going on, you fail. If he or she wouldn't trust you diving with their spouse, you fail.
One must really be on your game. Only one in two pass full cave the first time. I saw what I thought were he man divers pack it up and fly home after 2 days. My dive partner told the instructor "you may send me home, but I'm not quitting.'
It's tough! We passed the first time, but we had 4 buddies that already were cave divers and showed us what to expect.
And never dive in the overhead without proper training. A young girl was rescued by a cave diver in Florida a few weeks ago. She followed her dad (an open water instructor) and brother in a cave. Dad and brother got out, but daughter was lost. She hung on for 30 minutes till a cave diver went in and searched in a total silt out till he found her. She was darn lucky.

shaun · 09-02-2012, 09:54 AM

I'm jealous, I wished I lived nearby all that. When i was a kid I sliced open my hand whilst cave diving. There was blood everywhere and I was crying my eyes out, I still have the scar 20 years later.

My understanding is that cave diving is further in the cave and cavern diving is closer to the entrance.

wvbreamfisherman · 09-02-2012, 10:55 AM

You couldn't pay me enough to do that! I've done some caving, and learned that I'm not 100% comfortable in extremely tight spaces to begin with.

I expect that the feeling would be at least 100X stronger underwater in a tight, dark space. I've done a bit of open water SCBA, but caves are a totally different level.