• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Spelunking lite upgrade

Terry Sampson

Well-Known Member
Exploring caves underground is now officially Spelunking Lite. Upgrade to true adventure: take up cave diving.

From Wikipedia: "Cave diving is underwater diving in water-filled caves. It may be done as an extreme sport, a way of exploring flooded caves for scientific investigation, or for the search for and recovery of divers lost while diving for one of these reasons." Cave diving - Wikipedia

Wait!!! What??? Cave diving may be done as (1) an extreme sport, (2) a way of exploring flooded caves for scientific purposes,or (wait for it) ...... (3) the way to search for and recover divers lost doing (1), (2), or (3).

No wonder insurance companies won't insure 'em.
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
Exploring caves underground is now officially Spelunking Lite. Upgrade to true adventure: take up cave diving.

From Wikipedia: "Cave diving is underwater diving in water-filled caves. It may be done as an extreme sport, a way of exploring flooded caves for scientific investigation, or for the search for and recovery of divers lost while diving for one of these reasons." Cave diving - Wikipedia

Wait!!! What??? Cave diving may be done as (1) an extreme sport, (2) a way of exploring flooded caves for scientific purposes,or (wait for it) ...... (3) the way to search for and recover divers lost doing (1), (2), or (3).

No wonder insurance companies won't insure 'em.

Why is it "Spelunking Lite?" I've enjoyed spelunking in the past. I'm not sure why it's "lite" now when surrounded by air instead of water.
 

Ellen Brown

Well-Known Member
Used to do some exploring in caves. One day we were going into a cave that we'd been into several times and it had collapsed. That was the end of that.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
On of my hobbies is exploring caves, not cave diving but as part of archaeological expeditions
 

Terry Sampson

Well-Known Member
Why is it "Spelunking Lite?" I've enjoyed spelunking in the past. I'm not sure why it's "lite" now when surrounded by air instead of water.

My use of the adjective "lite" is my way of distinguishing between the spelunking that you have enjoyed and the spelunking that potentially "costs" more in effort, endurance, nerves, and in length of life. My use of the word "officially" is my unauthorized way of surrounding my BS distinction with an air of legitimacy. Actually, you'll never catch me engaging in any form of spelunking anywhere in the universe, unless you consider looking under my bed for my missing shoe a really "Lite" form of spelunking.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
My use of the adjective "lite" is my way of distinguishing between the spelunking that you have enjoyed and the spelunking that potentially "costs" more in effort, endurance, nerves, and in length of life. My use of the word "officially" is my unauthorized way of surrounding my BS distinction with an air of legitimacy. Actually, you'll never catch me engaging in any form of spelunking anywhere in the universe, unless you consider looking under my bed for my missing shoe a really "Lite" form of spelunking.

A shoe? In my house its always socks that get lost under the bed
 

Terry Sampson

Well-Known Member
My boy has just finished reading a book on the very subject of socks missing under beds. It seems its the fault of sock herders who drive them down to a scary world under bed.

Washing machines or clothes dryers used to eat mine. That's why the socks I do wear, when I wear them, are always brand new.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
Washing machines or clothes dryers used to eat mine. That's why the socks I do wear, when I wear them, are always brand new.

I used to get socks eaten by the washing machine all the time but for some reason not recently
 

Mock Turtle

Oh my, did I say that!
Premium Member
Exploring caves underground is now officially Spelunking Lite. Upgrade to true adventure: take up cave diving.

From Wikipedia: "Cave diving is underwater diving in water-filled caves. It may be done as an extreme sport, a way of exploring flooded caves for scientific investigation, or for the search for and recovery of divers lost while diving for one of these reasons." Cave diving - Wikipedia

Wait!!! What??? Cave diving may be done as (1) an extreme sport, (2) a way of exploring flooded caves for scientific purposes,or (wait for it) ...... (3) the way to search for and recover divers lost doing (1), (2), or (3).

No wonder insurance companies won't insure 'em.

Actually one can get insurance for such (sporting) activities (here in the UK at least) apparently.

I have done plenty of caving, and ducks - where one has to momentarily duck under water for a short bit - is quite common in many caves. Sumps, where the length can vary between about 2m to 10m are less common, do require a bit more commitment, and much more experience, since they are usually gone through on a single breath (no equipment other than perhaps a wetsuit, some sort of facemask, and some weights if at all deep - to maintain neutral buoyancy). Some sumps have a rope to guide one but apart from that one is on one's own with only one's mates to get you out of trouble if it occurs. Best have some good mates with you. :rolleyes: Sumps are quite satisfying - having to overcome one's natural fear - and having the control necessary to achieve this feat. One of the best for me was a series of three sumps in quick succession - 2m, 4m, and a 9m to finish (into the open air, which was of course rather nice :D).

Cave diving is an altogether different affair, using all the equipment that normal divers use but being more specialised and is considerably more dangerous. Apparently about half the deaths in caves (in the UK) are related to water, but not necessarily to diving. I lost one good friend to a sump accident - he was trying to push through to new parts but was probably too inexperienced (in diving) and didn't have the proper support - he drowned. Bit of a shock really since he was an experienced caver and had rescued many others or brought their bodies back. :oops:

Cave diving is possibility one of the most dangerous 'sports' given the reliance on equipment, the conditions often encountered, and the control necessary not to panic when problems occur. Not for me thanks! :D
 

Terry Sampson

Well-Known Member
My OP was evoked by an radio interview on National Public Radio (NPR) that I listened to yesterday, a transcript of which can be read at Cave Diver Risks All To Explore Places 'Where Nobody Has Ever Been'

The guest was Jill Heinerth, author of: "Into The Planet: My Life As A Cave Diver." Jill is my source for my overly broad claim that insurance companies won't insure cave divers. Apparently some cave divers can get insurance and some can't. I guess the appropriate claim should have been: Cave diving insurance depends on the nature of the dive planned.
 

Mock Turtle

Oh my, did I say that!
Premium Member
My OP was evoked by an radio interview on National Public Radio (NPR) that I listened to yesterday, a transcript of which can be read at Cave Diver Risks All To Explore Places 'Where Nobody Has Ever Been'

The guest was Jill Heinerth, author of: "Into The Planet: My Life As A Cave Diver." Jill is my source for my overly broad claim that insurance companies won't insure cave divers. Apparently some cave divers can get insurance and some can't. I guess the appropriate claim should have been: Cave diving insurance depends on the nature of the dive planned.

I think it is probably true that full-on exploration cave-diving might be excluded from any insurance policies - hard to argue with someone who has vastly more experience than myself, even if some insurance seems to cover cave-diving (see below links). I would think it covers what I did, which is not really cave-diving but rather cave-dipping a toe in the water. :D

https://diveassure.com/en-intl/diving-insurance/
What's Covered by Travel Insurance?
 
Top