Expect The Unexpected

The initial training by your cave instructor was focused on teaching you the basic survival skills and awareness to allow you to cave dive safely. Every cave is a living thing which, just like other living things, can be unpredictable requiring you to adapt in order to survive.

But that should be no problem with experience right?  Not quite.  As Will Rogers once said, “good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.”  The road to experience can be dangerous.  This is why the Abe Davis Award given by the NSS-CDS is such a proud achievement as it is believed that the first 100 dives can be the most dangerous as the new cave diver is gaining that valuable experience.  So what can you do to improve your cave diving and make those dives safer?

Repairing Broken or Failing Guidelines

By Jim Wyatt

Cave divers are trained how to deal with broken guidelines during cave classes since repairing broken or failing lines is part of the curriculum.  However, divers can go years following their training and never encounter a problem so it may be advantageous to review the protocols.

Text and Photo © Jill Heinerth

When CCR cave divers and open circuit (OC) cave divers dive together, they are referred to as a Mixed Team. OC divers are often reticent about asking a CCR diver about how dive procedures may differ. It is incumbent on the CCR cave diver to ensure that gas management and emergency procedures are clear prior to entering the water.

1. Orientation