The Dark Truth About Cave Diving

Posted by Martina Birk on Wednesday, May 8, 2024

According to the Christian Science Monitor, divers first began exploring underwater cave systems in the mid-1960s, when new scuba apparatus allowed them to dive deeper and for longer than before. But cave diving is simply a lot riskier than open-water scuba diving and other similar underwater activities. 

Robert Laird told the Atlantic, "The one thing that kills divers more than anything else is panic. It can start with a small thing, like suddenly you see bubbles coming off a hose," he explained, adding that a brain experiencing panic tends to dismiss rational arguments, and it can become a lot harder to figure out how to swim to safety. 

As per Laird, a diver who is in that state of mind struggles to think clearly and plan an escape route. In fact, they may even end up going deeper into the cave without realizing it. He explained, "When you're panicked, there's absolutely no logic. There's no reasoning. There's no logical method of thinking."

In an interview with Atlas Explorer, Jill Heinerth, an underwater photographer and explorer-in-residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, said that cave diving is one sport that has been often been understood through accident analysis, with scientists studying fatal cases to understand what happened to help others prepare for future cave dives. She said that five rules were developed from this: have proper training, have a guide line, reserve enough air, have proper lights, and don't go too deep.

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