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Why Dive in Caves?
Cavern and cave diving are activities not
every diver would enjoy. A cavern is generally
defined as the first part of a cave, when you
can turn around and still see the exit. The cave
starts when you swim around a bend, and you
cannot see daylight in any direction. In this
article I’ll refer to both types of diving as “cave
diving,” because cavern diving is where it all
begins for those of us drawn down into the
earth — to places so few people will ever see.
To fin along a path less trodden is part of the
attraction, but there are many other reasons
divers explore caves. With no sunlight to sustain
bacteria and no water movement to hold silt
in suspension, visibility can reach astonishing
distances — up to 200 feet in some caves. In an
enormous chamber, divers may be able to see
another tiny pair of divers and their lights all the
way over on the other side, the water so clear it
is literally invisible — like floating in space.
Cavern and
Cave Diving
Welcome to the
dark side
TEXT By PETEr BuzzacoTT, PH.D, MPH
PHoToS By LIz roGErS
38
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SuMMEr 2012
RESEARCH, EDUCATION & MEDICINE
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A D V A N C E D D I V I N G
a diver hovers in the daylight zone
of a cavern.
Kilsby’s Sinkhole, South Australia