Cave Cave Cave... what's the deal?

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END usually less than 100. Sometimes a bunch less. I guess that is elevated but not enough to induce much imagination
 
Lots of pictures at cavediver.net
 
When touring the southwest, there are some who see stunning vistas, wonderfully complex folds, anticlines and strata as well as fanciful weathering and erosion.

Other just see a bunch of boring rocks. Same with caving.

Roak
 
Mo2vation once bubbled...
... but is there anything to SEE
Until you've been there, its hard to describe. However, if you're really lucky, on a good day, you'll get to see a cave mermaid, but not until you get past 4k or so. I also know that one day in some cave, I'll find the doorway.
 
great photos.

Are there currents in these caves? Does water surge at all, or are they simply freshwater holding tanks for run-off, etc.

Cold water, warm water?

Is all the light I see in these pics video/photo light or does light penetrate? Are the colors enhanced or really that blue?

WOW. Stunning. I had to go look at them again. Very nice. Like looking into some of the pools in Yellowstone - with all the different colors of algae corresponding to the different temperatures.

Not too tall - it must suck on a weekend to get in there, only to find some bottom-scratcher has kicked it up into a dustcloud.

Thanks everyone.

K
 
There is current in caves (springs), we refer to it as "flow." Springs are classified by the amount of water issueing forth from them. For example, a "First Magnitude" spring issues a minimum of 60 million gallons of water- PER DAY. An example ofa first magnitude spring is Devil's Ear at Ginnie Springs, and Wakulla Springs, which is the headspring of the Wakulla River. Other caves have much lower levels of flow. These differences create a number of different characteristics in the caves, amking each one unique.

The water is (relatively) warm, at 68-72 degrees fro Florida caves. The temps differ in other parts fo the world, for example, Mexican caves are much warmer, at about 78 degrees.

There is no natural light in the cave, but the lights we carry do penetrate. The average cave visibility is about 100'. This of course, i variable, and can be MUCH worse.

The size of cave passage varies widely. There are rooms large enough to hold Tampa Stadium in some caves, while others require sidemount configurations to pass through. Most are large enough to drive a vehicle through, though.
 
It's very hard for me to put into words the "draw, lure, obsession, thrill, etc." that is cave diving. People have asked me about it and no matter what I say I can't find adequate words to describe it. They usually just stare at me with that "dog that just heard a whistle" puzzled look.

This past weekend I was in a cave passage I hadn't been in before and the line started going up at a 45 degree angle and the room widened and I looked up and the ceiling was almost 100ft away! It took my breath away! I have an emotional feeling about it (not sure why) but I absolutely love the large rooms in some of the caves I dive.

Some of the others have done a good job explaining it but until you actually experience a cave dive in clear water you can't understand... it's just not possible.

DSAO!
 
The attraction of caves for me is curiousity. Caves are formed by water so the question is "Where does the water go/come from." In upland areas the water might flow into an airfilled cave before the water table is reached and the way on can only be gained by diving. Cave diving is therefore a tool for progression in the flooded cave just as climbing skills are necessary for traversing the vertical, air filled section.

Caves also satisfy the need for original exploration. If I wanted to see the top of a mountain I'd buy the postcard or take the cable car to the summit. The thing about caves is what is not there. Something that can largely only be experienced by going there yourself. Caves represent one of the last frontiers of the earth that can be explored by the average person. Indeed, many cavers will have been fortunate to be the first human to see that part of the earth.

Caves are however, a fragile natural environment. They are not some underground gymnasium .....

Oh .... at they are not filled with clear warm water either.

Duncan
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/
http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

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