Like many others, I have been watching this thread on the recent fatalities at Eagles Nest. I have done a lot of diving over the years, but this particular dive is so far beyond what I do, I simply can't even comprehend what goes into the planning and execution of a dive like that. Beyond that, I don't really understand the point of undertaking such a risky venture, when there is no benefit to it, other than to make a cool entry in a log book. There is nothing new being learned as it's not "exploration". EN has been thoroughly dived and "mostly" mapped and so this dive, as monumental as it was, really served no point. In return, two guys (who are likely friends of friends, although I don't know them personally) are dead under horrific circumstances. Numerous rescue/recovery divers risked their lives to recover their bodies and equipment and a few weeks from now, this will all be forgotten. I don't want to come across as being critical of these divers or this specific dive, but use it as an example.
I should add that I "get" the appeal of cave diving. Two of my oldest friends are well-known figures in the cave diving world and if I name-dropped, you would know them too. Many of my friends are tourist cave divers, making a trip or two a year to Florida or Mexico. While I prefer pretty fish and sunshine, I understand the appeal of spending an hour or two moving though Mother Earth as one of my friends would say.
What I don't understand is why someone would choose to undertake a dive that has zero room for error. By all accounts, these two divers were well-trained and experienced, and properly equipped. They didn't do anything especially "wrong" it seems, but non the less, they are dead. They aren't the first and they won't be the last. I lost a friend in the caves a few years ago, his death being the result of a careless moment and a bad attitude, but that's a whole other conversation.
So why do some of "us" choose to do this kind of diving? It seems selfish to me. Friends are hurt, Families are destroyed. Kids are made orphans. Spouses are left wondering why "we" put diving ahead of them...
I understand that any of us can die driving to work, or slipping in the shower. I've logged well over 5000 dives, mostly what I would describe as "techreational"... deeper recreational dives that require deco. These dives have consequences if I mess up, but the risk is manageable, and even if I mess up a little, there's a pretty good chance that I can muddle my way through and make it home in time for dinner.
I doubt that I am alone in my wondering. I presume there is an adrenaline factor in all of this. Or just the satisfaction of a "good plan, well executed". Maybe the pleasure only comes from knowing there is significant risk and zero room for error. Like BASE jumping. Jumping out of a plane isn't buzz enough, so jump off a cliff in a wingsuit and see how close you can come to the rocks/trees/building/antenna. Good fun until you "auger in" and end up like a bug on a windshield.
I don't get it. Maybe I'm just getting old.
