Wreck Diving Vs Cave Diving... huh?
One of my first diving instructors told me something to the effect that scuba diving is not a competitive sport. Now remember, this was before the days of chat groups and the Internet, and long before either of us knew anything about East Coast wreck divers or Florida's cave diving community. God, thinking about it, this was when the Florida cave diving community only had a couple of dozen members, and some of the wrecks on the Atlantic coast were still floating. How things have changed.
It's a zoo now. At least it is if you believe some of the stuff that gets posted on the Internet. One message frequently heard is along the lines that one sort of diving is somehow better than another: You know, cave divers are better than wreck divers or wreck diving is a tougher sport than cave diving so wreck divers are real men and women and all the rest are pussies.
You haven't heard it! Wow, you must be from out of town. Anyway, in the interest of science, the research team here at techdiver have compiled a short list pointing out the differences between wreck diving and cave diving. You may find it useful next time you find yourself on the wrong side of the playground.
1. Water temperature... wreck divers wear thick gloves.
2. There is no need to swim around the "outside" of a cave to orient yourself before penetrating.
3. Visibility at the start of the dive is usually better in a cave. If you dive with the wrong buddy though, this becomes academic.
4. Wreck divers carry powertools with them.
5. Only the very squeamish get seasick on a cave dive.
6. A 100 pound liftbag is considered unnecessary beyond the cavern zone.
7. Loosing the "ascent line" in a cave is way more serious than it is on a wreck.
8. Prying off cave decorations and putting them in your goody bag is seriously frowned upon.
9. Cave divers don't have to tip the boat captain and crew.
10. Most of the skeletal remains in a cave are fossilized. However, some are still wearing scuba gear.
11. Cave divers drive white vans.
12. Wreck divers carry several reels but seldom use more than one.
13. The walls and ceiling in a cave generally stay put.
14. Cave divers tend to rewind all the line they unwound during their dive and transport it out of the cave with them. Wreck divers leave it laying around the wreck to make life more exciting for the next guy.
15. Cave divers think the principal use for picnic tables is for displaying dive gear in attractive patterns.
16. Wreck divers don't have to walk far to get to the dive site.
17. Alligators are more of a problem than nurse sharks.
18. Hurricanes do not move caves from where you last dove them to some place else.
19. Cave divers do not need to carry a cutting tool capable of slicing through electrical cable.
20. Wreck divers can only dream about 2 000 foot penetrations.
21. All the sea life a cave diver sees is at least 100 million years old.
That's it. Naturally, this list is far from complete, but I hope it helps.