scuba diving underground

MegaDude

Earlier this year on vacation I caught the ferry over from Cozumel to the mainland in Mexico and dove the cenotes or underground cavern systems which have the clearest water I've ever seen....about 300- foot visibility. You climb a ladder 30 feet underground into a cavern with bats flying around, and then slip into the water and dive through the passage ways which take you about another 30 feet underwater. The scenery was spectacular.

This guy's pictures turned out better than mine so I'm posting his link to his pics, but if you enjoy underwater or photography, you'll like these. It was quite an adventure.

http://www.boydski.com/diving/trips/Akumal/page1.htm

avishai

That's so cool!!

Xena

Awesome pics Mega, but I got closterphobic just looking at them....you're crazy man

hillbilly

tried it "underground" once... my mask got full of dirt and I got to sneezin'............ may be in a cave but your pictures look "underwater" or at least "insomewater"............

----------Hill

frenchbabyface

Cool ...

this one is majestic !

alt

xenawarrior

Wow- Cool pictures Mega !! Thanks for sharing them ! BTW- I'm sorry to hear that your brother went back in the other direction at this point. Hopefully it's short lived and I hope you can get out diving with him soon !!

XW

mkr32208

TERRIFYING! Single tanks, one regulator, short hose octo, no streamlined equipment, scissor kicking all the way, no back up lights no back up line... Please don't get Cavern or Cave lessons from these people again they obviously want you to die!

The only one who looked properly equiped for an overhead environment much less a true cave (and if you can't see the light your not in a cavern your in a cave, and it sure looked like you couldn't) was the instructor... HE was coming back alive... not sure about you gringo's but HE was!

I really try to not be an ass (even for littletoe!) but cave diving is insanely dangerous. I do it and love it but please please please don't ever go into a cave outfitted like an openwater diver again you can DIE easy easy easy and this forum needs all the people it can get! Come down to Ginny springs in Florida and learn how to do it safely please!

MegaDude

Mkr,

as I said, those are a link to someone else's pics. That is not my equipment setup. I dove with a guide and one other diver. The guide had the extra tank with octopus for us if we got in trouble. All of us had lights. Mine has a backup bulb in case it burns out while diving. There was a guideline through the entire cave system. We stayed close together and about every 200 feet or so there was a break in the passageway where you could swim up and surface. I had an octopus as well as the other diver. Because that was the situation I felt my equipment was more than adequate. I would agree diving a cave without a spare regulator is like playing Russian roulette.

Is cave diving insanely dangerous? Not insanely dangerous but dangerous if you don't approach it very carefully. There is no way to the surface and air if you have an equipment breakdown. Therefore you need to bring along a Spare Air (small extra tank of air) and stay close to your buddies and have an established signal system if someone gets into trouble. You need to dive with a spare regulator in case your primary malfunctions (which has happened to me in the past).

I would add they have sections of the cave system you can easily access just using your snorkle and they do tours for those of you who don't scuba.

I'd love to dive Ginnie Springs. Maybe this winter if I can get to Florida to see the manatees. Do you live close to there?

LittleToe

mkr:I enjoy cave diving, too, on rare occasions.
I work on the rule of thirds, for air - 1/3 out, 1/3 in, 1/3 reserve. It p*sses off my buddies no end, but since i'm usually the instructor/leader I call the shots. I'd rather they came back with lots of air than not at all!

Jerry:Great pics!!!

Steve Egner

Jerry,

Those were some inspiring photos.

Reading the experiences of the group from Olympia, it sounds like they had a thorough orientation toward caving, with emergency skills, before they entered the caverns. I liked the description of following the line, masks off, eyes closed, while air sharing. Nice preparation.

I'd love to get into some warmer water soon... My brother in law is bringing his boys over for some neighborhood begging rituals this evening, and we'll be planning our next dive. In our area, we are lucky to have 300 ft. visibility above sea level, and many days measure the diving viz in single digits. Of course, after the dive, with an audience, visibility increases dramatically...

Are you still a maybe for the Seattle fest? I'm still planning on at least a brief dip into our local underwater park. My favorite charter captain has some online photos you might like, at www.pacadventure.com . There are even a couple pics of Randy and I back in April.

Ross,

I read on www.scubaboard.com about a pair of dive fatalities off Scotland. A couple in their thirties surfaced in distress, and were DOA at the hospital. Not much more detail than that... have you heard anything?

Steve

scuba diving underground

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