After months of talking and
research we got enough information gathered to make our
next exploration trip. We wanted to explore some cave
systems in the Northwestern parts of
Thailand.
If
any of you diving enthusiasts are looking for some new
challenges, cave diving just might be the very thing for
you! But it's not for everyone: it takes discipline,
special training and a lot of hard work.
For example, we recently explored some cave systems in
northwestern Thailand. After months of research and
preparation we were finally ready to make our next
exploratory cave diving trip. Two trucks were to provide
our transportation, one for all the nitrox tanks and
equipment, the other for the divers.
Our
arrival time was about 6:00 p.m, which, it has to be
said was a bit later then we planned. The first thing we
needed to do was go down to the lake and find a
reputable captain, and tell him what time we wanted to
leave and where we wanted to go.
It appeared that the boatmen where more then happy to
help us out and were as excited as we were to find out
what was really down there.
Day 2 started at 6:30 a.m. The equipment was assembled
so everything was as streamlined as possible. A couple
of stainless steel clips were replaced with string,
since there should be no metal to metal connections when
entering in a cave. The tanks were analyzed and
everything was ready to go. Now there was just time to
check on the other team members.
Our boat captain, or should I say longtail boat driver,
was waiting for us to arrive. We backed up the trucks
and got everything loaded and ready to go. We instructed
the boatman where the first dive site was and off we
went. It was about a 30-minute boat ride.
When we where not far from the entrance of the cave we
got kitted up and ready to go. (getting into the water
was a big relief since it was, as always, hot, and the
thick wetsuits weren't exactly helping matters!). Our
equipment familiarization checks were completed and we
headed for the entrance.
Once underwater, we completed our checks, looking for
stray bubbles and making sure all our lights worked
properly. As it happened there were not many places to
put our first tie-off but finally we found one just
outside the entrance not far from the surface that would
almost guarantee us a direct ascent.
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Not
laying a line is one of the most common mistakes for divers
when entering caves and wrecks. I have heard that some
agencies that train in overhead environments teach only
progressive familiarization during the course. I prefer have
the addition of lines during my cavern and wreck courses.
Proper selection of equipment is another important factor
and we both used jet fins with spring buckles so we would
not get caught up on anything.
The
visibility was about 3-4m which I felt quite comfortable
with since the viz. around our local dive spots is not much
more! Looking for a second tie-off was a bit more of a
challenge since all we could see were large boulders.
Frog-kicking slowly and trying not to stir up any silt, we
approached the bottom at 12m. At the bottom we saw quite a
few catfish swimming around, not something we normally see
in the ocean around Pattaya! At first, the cave was quite
dark, but it soon started to get light again and we could
see that we were heading to another entrance. As we
approached it there were some tree stumps and as we swam
around them we noticed that we had reached our turnaround
point, I signalled my buddy, Mike, to re-trace our route and
we headed back to the entrance of the cave.
Back on the boat we went over the dive and we were happy
that everything went exactly as we had planned it. We
arrived at the second site and thankfully, were able to pull
into the cave and out of the sun to get ready. This spot was
a bit more spooky since we could see the bats flying around
overhead, but none of them bothered us. We kitted up and got
into the water. All the equipment checks were completed and
down we went.
The first objective was to find where to place the primary
and secondary tie-offs. Once this was done we continued on,
to find many passageways, a lot of which were quite narrow,
so we continued in single file. I led the way with my buddy
close behind. It was like a maze, and sometimes I thought I
was going round in circles. I felt more comfortable in the
fact that I was carrying an extra cylinder in case of bail
out, some of the passages where very tight and I could have
very easily broken off a hose connection.
Once we were out of the maze we started to head for the
entrance. Just as we reached the end of the line I noticed
another exit, so I signalled Mike. I checked our air
pressures: we had plenty of air and time left, so we headed
to the other entrance. I could tell the room was larger then
the other ones and that is what I was hoping for. Mike could
see the smile on my face as I entered.
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Once we
were both inside I continued to lead the way, reeling the
line out, and Mike followed with his light shining on mine
so I would know where he was at all times. There was plenty
of room for both of us to swim through quite comfortably.
After about 5 minutes I decided it was time to turn around
and head back.Once back on the boat I was totally wiped out,
it seemed like we had been swimming through those
passageways for hours!
During the dives we discovered some weird looking fish that
I have never saw before, some were completely blue and
others had black spots and red eyes.
Later Mike said he waved his hand in front of them and they
did not move, as if they were blind. Another thing I noticed
was that unlike most ocean diving there were some pretty
impressive thermoclines in this lake.
On the way back to Bangkok I wanted to check out another
site I want to do dive, a sunken city where there is a
temple, a hotel and a school. However when we arrived the
area was closed off and we could not enter after dark. I am
hoping to get this dive in before the end of the year. It
will be to about 120m and each diver will have to carry 6
tanks to complete it safely. The dive time will be around
3-4 hours, depending on how long we decide to spend at the
bottom.
We will be running an exploration trip to two different
wreck diving sites later in the year. One wreck has a 100m
hull and is in about 75m. The second is a drill ship, sunk
during typhoon Gay back in 1988. All divers need to be fully
qualified Trimix divers in order to participate. If you are
not already qualified, we do offer the full range of
technical courses at Neptune Dive Center. All follow the
‘American Nitrox Divers International' (ANDI) system, one of
the leading technical diving agency's in the world.
If anybody would like to join us on a cave exploration trip,
or take a cave diving course, you can contact me or stop by
at Neptune Dive Center on Second road, Pattaya, where we
will be offering the full range of cave diving courses in
the very near future.
Special thanks to Mike Doyle who bought along some excellent
diving lights from "Ocean Management Systems" of Southeast
Asia to help us find our way through the dives.
WARNING: Cave Diving is dangerous and requires extensive
training and experience. Do NOT enter caves unless properly
trained by a certified agency |
