Guidelines for a Safe Cave Diving Experience

Scuba diving is a fun and challenging recreational activity. And for skilled divers, who feel the desire to take their diving experience to the next level, cave diving is like no other. Cave diving is a thrilling journey of exploring caves that leads one to discover exceptional species underwater. However, since cave diving involves moving through enclosed spaces, there are some risks involved. If one is not well-trained and suddenly decides to embark on cave diving, accidents can happen. Here are some guidelines that you have to remember.

Cave diving, if done beyond one's skills and abilities, could be very dangerous. Yes, even if you've reached an exceptional open water certification level and have done several dives, you still can't go cave diving. You must take and participate in courses that are specialized for cave diving which will teach you all the things you need to know - special equipment, techniques, diving methods, etc. Only then can you be cave-certified. If you don't take these courses, and explore caves underwater because you think you're skillful enough anyway, then you're deliberately putting your life in extreme danger.

This is a very important reminder to avoid losing your tracks when making a cave exit. Don't depend on your memory to dictate how you'll get out of the cave. Instead, use a guideline and incessantly follow it. If you do occasional jumps, make sure to run a gap line. A cave diving experience can be very unpredictable; there could be altered visibility, light failure, and sludge can be a notorious obstacle. If you don't follow a guideline, you'll definitely get lost. Yes, that applies even to divers who have been to the same cave many times before. It's better safe than sorry; you don't want to get stuck in a cave, do you?

Each time before you conduct a cave dive, be aware of the amount of gas supply you'll need. Oftentimes, it is required that you don't wear out more than 1/3 of your gas supply upon entering the cave. Why? Because you'll need the extra 2/3. 1/3 when exiting the cave, and another 1/3 in case of emergencies. This also applies to buddy team diving. For instance, one member of the team exhausts his gas supply when maximally penetrating the cave. Thus, he would depend on his buddy's supply of gas. The remaining 2/3 would then be necessary for both divers to safely get out of the cave. There are also other cases when a more significant amount of gas should be conserved, depending on what cave environment you're exploring.

This should be followed unless you're trimix-certified. Otherwise, you're increasing your risk of experiencing oxygen toxicity or nitrogen narcosis.

It can be very dark inside the cave, so have at least three light source reserves. The more, the better.

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