Is cave diving safer than Open Water

[KevinNM]

My kingdom for a denominator.

Bah. It clearly doesn’t have anything to do with the average age of golfers and skydivers either.

 

[Ross19966]

We need to just remove all safety labels and let Darwin work this out.

 

[The Chairman]

We need to just remove all safety labels and let Darwin work this out.

The difference between stupidity and ignorance. Darwin will always take out the stupid, even after they learn better.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

I can state with complete certainty and confidence that being anywhere past 90 degrees from me on the tee on a golf course is FAR more dangerous than any cave dive.......and that anywhere straight up the middle of the fairway is completely safe!

 

[BlueTrin]

I can't believe there are 21 pages discussing this topic. Kind of like arguing that skydiving is safer than bowling.

It’s because the bowlers are not taking the proper time to develop their skydiving skills nor are approaching it with the right mindset.

 

[KevinNM]

It’s obvious from the missing statistics on deaths that Big Bowling is covering up just how dangerous it is. But they acknowledge tens of thousands of injuries per year. Which, given that a mere 100 million people participate in it means…. Umm, never mind.

 

[Johanan]

I have wondered about the same thing as the OP. Well, there is much more to cave diving than staying on the line. That would be correct for a straight tunnel with just one line in and out. There are caves like huge labyrinths with complex systems of lines, junctions, and jumps. One might get confused and lost even in perfect visibility. IMO navigation is the most important skill in real cave diving. On the other hand, if I compare my subjective experiences of diving caves or diving wrecks in the open ocean, a relaxed dive in a tranquil Mexican cave feels much more pleasant and, yes, safe than one in a deep sea with a vicious current and a rocking boat I have to get back on in with all my gear.

 

[kensuf]

It’s obvious from the missing statistics on deaths that Big Bowling is covering up just how dangerous it is.

Do not speak about the conspiracy.

 

[prglanville]

On our last trip we had a discussion comparing cave diving to regular open water diving.
Cave diving has a deadly reputation, but, in all honesty, I've never been scared of it. I did cave dive twice in small sea caves and found it a pretty chill experience. Open water diving in the same sea outside the cave, on the contrary, tends to freak me out even after completing my 100th dive.
So my arguments were that cave diving is generally safer because it lacks the hazards of the open ocean: strong currents, storms, boat propellers, dangerous marine life, unreliable visibility, weird water conditions like downcurrents, etc. An overhead environment can be an advantage because it prevents you from shooting to the surface in a bout of panic. So, if done properly, cave diving in a spring is safer than diving in a sea because there are fewer things you cannot control.
I realize there are hazards specific of cave diving like silt outs, but, as longs as you can breathe and stay on the line, you always know the way out. In the meanwhile, in the open ocean, you may be caught in a strong current and drift away and never be found again.
Another advantage of cave diving in terms of safety is the fact that cave diving courses put great emphasis on safe diving techniques and are thus much harder than your typical OW where they take you down to 100 feet after your 6th OW dive for your AOW course (which I find ridiculously dangerous).
Anyway, I would live to hear your opinion on what you personally find safer and why?

I think open water overall is safer, but i think if you really stick to the basic rules, cave is pretty safe. But I only have about 200 cave dives after my intro to cave training (I have been cert in night, nitrox, and solo diving and have about 1900 dives after my cave). In those 200 dives I only had 1 problem that was easy to solve and did not require any emergency procedures. Also all those dives were in what I think would be called But I have another question - about Jill Heinerth's book "INTO THE PLANET." She is referred to as one of the greatest cave divers in the world. But I think it is her position that if you don't push the envelope on almost every dive that progress of some kind won't be made. In her book someone almost dies or does die or gets bent or there is some emergency on almost every dive. I don't have the attitude about "pushing the envelope." I reall want to enjoy diving for a long long time and be healthy and safe. I always read the 'LESSONS FOR LIFE" articles in Scuba Mag. I think it is amazing what people do that gets them in trouble. So, what do all of you think about Jill Henerth? BTW early in her book when she is very much a novice in basic open water she tells a story about when she had her new camera and was at 167 feet and popped a seal on camera case and had a hard time getting up. #1 - what was she doing at 167 feet? #2 no other info so I assume she was on air. 3# she was probably "Narced." #4 - no mention of a buddy so she was probably alone. No Buddy, 167 feet on air, very novice diver. I think she was a dangerous "push the envelope" diver from the beginning. She did some awesome things over the rest of her career and is still diving. But a lot of the people whe went places with her almost died, did die or got bent. Not my idea of the way I want my life of diving to be.

 

[prglanville]

I think open water overall is safer, but i think if you really stick to the basic rules, cave is pretty safe. But I only have about 200 cave dives after my intro to cave training (I have been cert in night, nitrox, and solo diving and have about 1900 dives after my cave). In those 200 dives I only had 1 problem that was easy to solve and did not require any emergency procedures. Also all those dives were in what I think would be called But I have another question - about Jill Heinerth's book "INTO THE PLANET." She is referred to as one of the greatest cave divers in the world. But I think it is her position that if you don't push the envelope on almost every dive that progress of some kind won't be made. In her book someone almost dies or does die or gets bent or there is some emergency on almost every dive. I don't have the attitude about "pushing the envelope." I reall want to enjoy diving for a long long time and be healthy and safe. I always read the 'LESSONS FOR LIFE" articles in Scuba Mag. I think it is amazing what people do that gets them in trouble. So, what do all of you think about Jill Henerth? BTW early in her book when she is very much a novice in basic open water she tells a story about when she had her new camera and was at 167 feet and popped a seal on camera case and had a hard time getting up. #1 - what was she doing at 167 feet? #2 no other info so I assume she was on air. 3# she was probably "Narced." #4 - no mention of a buddy so she was probably alone. No Buddy, 167 feet on air, very novice diver. I think she was a dangerous "push the envelope" diver from the beginning. She did some awesome things over the rest of her career and is still diving. But a lot of the people whe went places with her almost died, did die or got bent. Not my idea of the way I want my life of diving to be.

In the above I didn't finish a sentence - I meant to say that all of my cave dives were in what is called "recreational caves" - permanent guidelines, very little silt etc.