Cave Conservation
You can choose between risking your life and cave diving safely, but the cave has no choice — it’s there, and it and the surrounding property are vulnerable to vandalism. Caves have unique scientific, recreational and aesthetic values that should be preserved for future generations to study and enjoy. NSS-CDS members must pledge to do nothing that will deface, mar, or otherwise spoil the natural beauty and life forms in caves. The NSS-CDS motto is:
Take nothing but pictures…
Leave nothing but bubbles…
Kill nothing but time.
As divers are conspicuous features around the springs and sinkholes of Florida, Mexico, Bahamas, and other Karst areas around the globe, much of the litter there is attributed to them. Even though much of this litter arises from casual visitors and swimmers, the NSS-CDS asks that each time you dive, you take the time to pick up and properly dispose of a few pieces. In this way we can each do our part to keep these areas beautiful, to continue our welcome at them, and hopefully to stimulate others to better conservation habits.
The concept of Cave Diving Safety does not just concern diver safety, but also the impact on the cave system that we choose to enter.
- A person selects and enters a cave by choice; the cave cannot discriminate between the trained or untrained, the careful or careless, and the respectful or reckless.
- Leave the cave as it was found; refrain from casual collecting of any kind.
- Make sure your skills are matched to the cave you are diving.
- Attempt to remove trash when possible and leave none of your own.
- Do not molest the cave; your impact will be visible for thousands of years to come.
- Develop an awareness of sensitive cave structures and features.
- Goethite/ phreatite formations
- Sediment formations
- Delicate formations
- Cave fauna and bacteria colonies
- Speleothems; stalactites, stalagmites, etc
Learn More
To learn more about Springs follow the links below.
Florida
Mexico