The Earth we can see is just the surface of our planet. What is under the surface? Some people want to find out. Cave exploring, or spelunking, is the hobby of exploring caves. Explorers can help us learn about life underground. The Earth's surface hides many amazing things.
Some caves have water inside. These water-filled caves are hard to explore. Thanks to scuba gear, we can learn more about the underwater world. Divers can stay in caves for hours.
Some caves are full of water. Others have siphons. A siphon is a small passage that is filled with water. In these caves, divers walk some parts and dive others.
Caves are very hazardous places. There are many sharp rocks and tight spaces. Sometimes, divers must take off their gear to pass through rocks.
Many caves have warning signs at the beginning. They tell you that you might die. They tell you how many people have died in caves.
Divers must do lots of training to dive in caves. They must be ready for every situation. If their gear breaks underwater, they are in trouble. Divers must know how to fix their gear underwater.
There is no light in underwater caves. Divers rely on dive lights. They take many backup lights too. If their lights die, they are stuck in darkness.
Cave divers must take a guideline. It is a thin wire that can be very long. Cave divers sometimes use multiple lines. It helps them find their way out. This is essential if your lights do not work.
Returning to the surface after a dive is not easy. They must not go up too fast. Divers must decompress on the way up. They take little breaks. If they don't, they will feel sick. They might get joint pain. If it is more serious, they could have a heart attack.
The visibility in caves can become bad quickly. On the floor of the cave, there is lots of sediment. If you move your feet quickly to swim, you could disturb it. It will make the water very dirty. It becomes very hard to see.
Sheck Exley was a very famous cave diver. He taught explorers many new things about how to dive safely. He went on many recovery missions to help people. Exley explored many caves in the world.
Sheck Exley died during one of his dives in Mexico. He was diving to 300 metres in a cave. Being an explorer can be deadly.
Today, many explorers are brave enough to explore underwater and underground caves. Would you be brave enough?