The Do's and Don'ts of Caving

Cave Exploring

• Never go caving alone. Take at least two people with you.
• Always tell someone dependable where you are going and when you are supposed to be back.
• Never try to climb out of a deep hole hand over hand up a rope. Always use vertical climb gear and safe techniques.
• Never use a flashlight as your primary light source. A helmet light is more durable and is much easier because it leaves your hands free.
• Always wear a helmet.
• Make sure everyone in the party carries at least one backup light that is at least a very near equal to their primary light. Always carry spare bulbs, batteries, fuel, etc. at all times. Never get caught in a cave without a good light source.
• Have someone in the party carry extra food, water, and first aid. A trash bag to carry out waste is also needed.
• Wear heavy duty footwear. Boots with good traction and ankle support are very important to prevent falls. Never wear tennis shoes into caves.

• Never cave dive without formal training or certification. No amount of open water diving experience can sufficiently prepare one for cave diving.
• Try to not stir the silt cover the bottom of the cave. This creates serious visibility problems.
• Use only a third of the available air for exploring. This leaves two thirds of the air for coming back and dealing with any problems that may occur.
• Use redundant components for all life support equipment and all key peripheral components. Take at least two dependable underwater lights, a submersible pressure gauge, and an additional second stage.
• Become very familiar with all the items you will take and where they will be located so they can be found and implemented quickly even in total darkness.
• Practice safety techniques frequently so if the situation occurs there will be less panic and confusion.
• Diving deeper than 130 feet is very dangerous, especially if you are not prepared to dive that deep. Factors such as oxygen toxicity, nitrogen narcosis, and CO₂ buildup can cause fatal mistakes, or kill outright.