Dark Chamber Underwater

These caverns and caves fascinate me. I did this little 4-hour guided cave exploration on the surface and I can say that I don't really mind being in enclosed spaces. It is just something I naturally look for in life probably because I'm a hermit.

The earth is composed of massive holes on the surface. Humans can only enter a small percentage of these caves and often at great risk. When I started diving, I didn't know about these secret chambers underwater. I would always take the chance to dive through these little caverns because it is such an exhilarating experience.

I mastered how to constantly take a really deep breath as if air is an expensive drug I don't want to waste. I roam around freely and breathe slowly as I stare at these massive walls in front of me. There is this intense feeling as I go deeper and away from the light. In exchange for a temporary life underwater, I get to see these beautiful creatures. And under these walls, there is a little mysterious cavern where fish take refuge.

This image above is a little dive through called Madonna Rock. What's really nice about going through these caverns is that you get to practice your buoyancy control. You don't want to bump your head and ruin the wall. You also don't want to get entangled and leave your body there for the fish to eat. You don't know if you are a healthy diet for the fish. So if you care about nature, you need to practice buoyancy control through breathing. You can go up a little bit by inhaling and descend by exhaling, you can do these without pumping air to your BCD. Remember that you are just passing through these dark holes and nothing more.

I got to practice almost every day in the past that buoyancy was no longer something I had to worry about, it became second nature to me. I know that if I have to go between rocks or through caverns, I have to control my breathing. I also know that if there's an emergency situation, I should easily let go of my weights and ascend slowly. And if my dive buddy is in trouble, I know what to do to save this person. If I panic, I will die.

When in panic, even the most logical and experienced diver could forget about these safety measures. I know deep inside that I could be prone to panic but when I'm scuba diving, the activity fully takes me to the present moment. I don't daydream just like what I do most of the time on the surface. I remember what I have to do during dangerous situations and I familiarize myself with the whole scuba equipment.

It's funny a lot of divers think Madonna rock is already cave diving but they just don't know the difference between a cave and a cavern. A cave is a portion of the subterranean that has no natural light coming from the outside while a cavern is just a portion of the cave which is penetrated by natural light. Cavern divers don't really go further than 40 m from the entrance, they stay within the light. Cavern diving is just a form of recreational diving and anyone with specialty certification from PADI, SSI and NAUI can do this dive. Although it is not as extreme as cave diving, divers must still use guidelines to make sure that they are able to make it safely back to the entrance.

I begin to dream about real cave diving. Cave diving is a form of technical diving. It is riskier and it is not really for everyone. One has to be an experienced diver and should be able to commit to discipline. Divers go deep until there's no more light. It is unnatural for us humans to breathe underwater and even more unnatural to go deeper into the unknown and chase darkness. This is why this is an extreme underwater activity that requires more specialized training and more advanced equipment.

I heard horror stories from the instructors who experienced some of these situations themselves. There was a new diver who lost her consciousness underwater. There was someone who died because the water got into the mask, and instead of clearing it, the diver panicked at the bottom. Someone also sank like a rock and forgot to turn on her air tank on the surface. Before getting into any advanced diving activities like cave diving, it is important to master the basic skills first. Scuba diving is safe but sometimes humans fail to think clearly despite the rigorous training. People die due to panic.

I had been only in a situation where it was a bit dangerous, like losing others during deep diving in bad visibility. I was with someone underwater so it was more of a romantic moment for us. Nevertheless, staying calm and thinking about the best way to resolve the situation is the key. In my case, I knew what I had to do. I knew that I didn't have to wait around there for a long time. It is important for divers to see the worst case scenarios underwater and follow the safety guidelines.

There are a lot of things hidden in the mysterious deep, a dark underwater world hidden from us. I will not see this unparalleled beauty if I just stay within the light all the time. I'll nurse my dreams in the darkness for now and look forward to the light from the surface someday.