Inspire.Expire.Apartfrommytanks,thebubblesflowingoutofmyregulatoraretheonlygaspocketswithinanhourofswimmingdistance.Ifnotforthesmoothfunctioningofmyequipment, there isabsolutelynochancemy lifecouldbesustainedso farawayfromanopening.Idon’tknowaboutthethicknessofgraniteabovemyhead,butitdoesnotmatter:whether10centimeters,10metersora100metersofsolidrock,I’mtrapped.Theonlywayoutistofollowpropernavigationalproceduresoutofthismaze:there is no shortcut.

Funnyhowthehumanmindworks.AssumingIwasatthebeginningofadiveonourgoodold18metersdeepTempleReef inPondy, Iwouldalsobe lookingatanhourbefore breaking the surface, yet would never consider it to be a challenging situation,despitesomeofthemaincharacteristicsofthediveremainingthesame:samemedium-submergedinwater,samedependence-relyingonmyscubaequipment,sameduration-anhourawayfromthesurface.Theabsenceofpossibilityofanemergencyexitmakesaworldofadifference.

I’mnotafraidofthecave,andsomewhatsurprisednottobe-butI’mcertainlyfeelingadeepsenseofrespectforthisenvironment.HowcouldInot,afterreadingSheckExley,JaredJablonsky,DanLenihan,andtheirgrippingtalesofcavesexploration?EventhenameofExley’smainbook,the“Blueprintforsurvival”,remindsthediverthatwhatheisdoingisjustthat:survivinginanenvironmentwherehe’snotsupposedtobe.Andyet,it’salmostneverthecavethatkillsthedivers:it’sthediversthemselves,bynotfollowingappropriateprocedures,orbybeingcarriedawaybytheirego.Andtecdiversareoftenfoundatthetopofthelistwhenitcomestoego,rightbetweencoke-fueledrockstarsandlifelong-electeddictatorsofBananaRepublics-whichare,incidently,twotypesofpersonsyouprobablydonotwanttobecave-divingwith.

Hence the intensepreparation, servicingevery singlepart andstreamlining theentire kit to reduceentanglementandfailurehazards,aswellasrehearsingeveryexercise,buildingupmusclememoryuntiltheybecomesecondnature:grabbingandfollowingalineinzero-visibilitywhilesharingairwithabuddyandcommunicatingbytouch,scrupulouslyfollowingnavigationalprocedurestomaximizethechancesoffindingtheexiteveninasilted-outcavebylayinglinesandmarkerswitheverypossibleoutcomeinmind,performingvalvesshut-downdrillsineverypositionandsituation…Interestingfact:inacave,someexercisescannotbesimulated.Inordertopracticealossoflineinano-visibilitysituation,youhavetolosethelineandsiltoutaportionofthecave-thuscreatingtheverysituationyouhopetoneverencounter.Andyouevenpayforit.Humanbeingsarestrangeanimals.

Somewell-knownskillssuddenlyseemmuchtrickiertohandle.Ithoughtmybuoyancycontrolwasdecent-andrediscoverthepleasureofbeingarookiealloveragain.Goingthirtycentimetersupanddowninopenwater isbarelyfelt,but inaafiftycentimeterstunnel,afootofdifferenceislikearollercoasterridethrustingadiverfromsilting-uptheplacetobangingtheirheadontheceiling.

Julien Fortin - PADI TecRec Instructor #309685 - julien@technicaldivingindia.comTechnical Diving India - www.technicadivingindia.com

NOT TO BECOME A FOSSIL IN A CAVE

Lyinginthesilt,thefossilofaturtleisgreetingmewithafoolishgrinandemptyorbits.Whenaskedwhattheywouldliketobecomewheytheygrowup,littlekidsusuallyanswersomethingalongthelinesoffireman,doctor,teacherorcosmonaut.InthedepthofthisMexicancenote,anunderwatercavehalfwayacrosstheglobefromhome,Ifoundanewcalling:whenIgrow-up,Iwanttobecomeabettercavediver-and,ifpossible,notadeadfossilinacave.Evenaturtle

onewithafunnysmile.

I checkmy gauges - I’m almost at the agreed-uponturningpressure. I signalmybuddy to turn thedive,pointatthe exit direction, and takemywetnotes out ofmybumbagtowritedownpressure,timeanddepth,inordertoassessourdiveplanduringthedebriefingandadjustourfutureproceduresaccordingly.TheScubaPrologoonthewetnotescanbarelybeseenanymore,afterhundredsofdivesofheavyusageandabuse:goingthroughthepages,seeingolddecompressionplansandmapsofmyusualIndiandivinggrounds,islikepeeringthroughawindowintoanotherworld,connectedonlybythiswetnotes,and the liquid element. Remember the question about thehydrologicalcycleinthePADIDivemastermanual?Allwatersoftheworldareconnectedthroughcyclesofevaporationandcondensation-andyet,intheMexicanCenotes,thewaterhasmanagedtostaymoreorlessawayfromthisgreatexchangeformaybehundredsofthousandsofyears.

This incredible amount of time somehow percolatesthrough the rocks surroundingme, and diving through thosegalleriesisakindoftimetravel,passingstalactitesformedamillionyearsagowhenthosegroundswereabovesealevel,floatingoverthefossilorskeletonofananimalthatgot losthere longbeforehumanbeingswere inhabitingtheEarth,ortryingtonotdisturblayersofsedimentsbuildingthegraveyardofmarinecreatureswhodiedseveraliceagesago.MostoftheMexicancavesaresolutionformations,andwerebuiltthroughthedissolutionofsoftmaterialsthroughtravelingacidicwaters-aprocessolderthansomecontinents.Andthroughthissensationofeternity,thestunningbeautyofthesimultaneouslyunderwaterandunder-earth landscape:Madonna’spassage, theRoomofTears, thousandsofstonespearsbuidlingcathedrals inaccessible tomostpilgrims,andstonefigureswhosedevotionalshaperemindmeoftheItalianBlackVirgin,laSantaMadonnadelCanetto.Withouttheshopofcheap,holytrinkets-butdefinitelywithasenseofawethat,asanheathendiver,I’veonlyfeltinafewoldtemples.Goingthroughhaloclinesseparatinglayersofsaltandfreshwater,myvisiontroubledbytheswirlsofconflicitingliquiddensities,I’mabsolutelytripping,andyethavetostayresolutelyfocused.ItfeelslikehavingtosolveequationswhilesuckingonaballofKashmiri opium.

In these rooms,more decorated than themost insane creation of anyarchitectonacids,waterflowsinabsolutetransparency,andonedoesnotswim:oneflies,findingdeepundertheearththesamezero-gravitythaninouterspace.AsongfromaMexicanmetalband,Agora,goesthroughmyhead,followingtherhythmofmybubbles:“siluetasenelaire”,silhouettesintheair,diversasfloatingshadowsinalightlessworld.

One kick at a time, gliding through the darkness, I finally see the faintgleamof theexitbehinda lastcurve. I’venever reallygrasped thedeepmeaningoftheexpression“lightattheendofthetunnel”untiltoday.

I’mhooked.Ican’thelpbutfeellikeacosmonautjustcomingbackfromanotherplanet.I’vebarelyseenafishduringthedive,andIdon’tcare:thesurrealbeautyofthecaves,thesensationofridingtimeandelements,ontheveryedgeofsurvivalandtheworld,pushingmyskillsfurtherwitheverykick, is likediscoveringanewdimensionofdiving, forcingmetorethinkevenmyopenwaterdiving-becomingasilhouetaenelaire.Andnotadeadturtleinthesilt.

Julien Fortin - PADI TecRec Instructor #309685 - julien@technicaldivingindia.comTechnical Diving India - www.technicadivingindia.com

FOCUS: SIDEMOUNT DIVING

Sidemountdivingisparticularlywellsuitedforpenetrationsinoverheadenvironments,likecavesandwrecks:

Modularity: thetankscanbeputinfrontofthediverforparticularlytrickyrestrictions,orevenbestagedifneeded.

Nothing on the back:havingnottanksonthebackcanallowpenetrationinsomerestrictionsthatwouldbeimpossibleinbackmount,sinceitreducesthediver’sverticalprofile.

Redundancy:sidemountoffersthediveratleast2completelyindependantbreathingsystems.