So Cal caves?

[britishtq]

Any caves to dive in So-Cal that aren't on Catalina? I'm planning on using a safety line in the cave and i dive wrecks often so I'm comfortable with overhead environments. I would prefer a novice cave if anybody knows of one.

And does anybody have any advice that would pertain to my plan? I am in no way an expert on cave diving but have read a lot into it, and can use any tips I can get.

 

[tgsmith]

The best tip you can get right now is to not try and go cave diving without proper training.

Wreck diving is not cave training. No amount of other experience can prepare you for cave diving except for cave training. If you're really interested, try and make a trip to florida. You can take a proper cave course from some dude that's been cave diving so long he knew Scheck Exley on a personal level. Given what you learn, the training is affordable.

Yes, I'm a trained cave diver. I'm not regurgitating a bunch of ****.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

+1 on what tgsmith said.

What you described is the prequel to most fatal cave diving accidents. You may have been in a bunch of wrecks, but you don't even know enough to know what you don't know when it comes to cave diving.

 

[meierdierck]

the best tip you could get is to go take a cave course,

 

[ucfdiver]

Any caves to dive in So-Cal that aren't on Catalina? I'm planning on using a safety line in the cave and i dive wrecks often so I'm comfortable with overhead environments. I would prefer a novice cave if anybody knows of one.

And does anybody have any advice that would pertain to my plan? I am in no way an expert on cave diving but have read a lot into it, and can use any tips I can get.

You should really read IUCRR's website if you're considering cave diving without training. Read over it with your family, friends, loved ones, and then tell them you're considering doing it without training, see what they say.

 

[JonKranhouse]

Ditto what''s been said so far about no cave diving without training... but the "Painted Cave" in Santa Cruz island is the world's longest "sea cave" - at over 1,200 feet, formed by erosion.

And it's tall - you can take a 90-foot boat deep inside, if the seas are calm.

It's not an overhead diving environment - no cave training needed - but the big hazard can be sea lions. I've been all the way back by dive kayak / Zodiak a few times - quite a smell from the sea lions. Adolescent sea lions aren't much of a problem, if that's all who's there. But I was once chased by a bull. Sometimes harbor seals take over - they seem much more mellow - at least the ones I've met ;-)

Truth Aquatics in Santa Barbara takes kayakers there, and divers just to sightsee from the boat -- they didn't want divers the water because when the tide / sea state changes, a big boat might not be able to safely exit. I dove from a private boat / kayak a few years back, during lobster season ;-))))

Info on sea caves;

There are over 100 sea caves on Santa Cruz, which is also the biggest of all the islands off SoCal.

 

[TSandM]

Are there, in fact, any diveable caves in Southern California that aren't sea caves? My guess is that the branching network caves we think of in limestone aren't available much there. Sea caves have their own issues, with tidal changes and surge, and they usually aren't very extensive.

To the OP -- the answers you are getting are correct. I have a cave cert and 100 cave dives, but I don't consider myself qualified to penetrate wrecks. They're just different environments, and although they share some hazards, they have their own unique ones, too. Getting proper training is the best way to be safe.

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

Please listen to what has been said. I do not want to read about another diver not coming back from a cave no time soon..

 

[fisheater]

Saw some cave diving at Death Valley on TV. You'd need Park Service permission, though, as there are rare critters there.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[meierdierck]

Saw some cave diving at Death Valley on TV. You'd need Park Service permission, though, as there are rare critters there.
Posted via Mobile Device

I have met the gentleman running this program, I dont get the impression he needs volunteers, but the dives really look amazing, BTW he does a great presentation if you have a dive club, he also speaks on old wreck salvage, top notch speaker,