Equipment

Turrets: Not Just for Tanks
When selecting regulators for cave diving, there are many important features to consider. There is one feature, however, which can prove critical in a gas-sharing situation. It’s vital you understand what this feature is and why it’s important.

Three more reasons diving metric is better
Using the metric system could make our life as divers — and cave divers in particular — easier. Here are three more reasons why.

The Micro Gear Hauler Project
Conventional wisdom is that, to be a cave diver, you must have a full-size truck, van or SUV. That’s not necessarily true. In many instances, you can get your gear to and from the water quite economically.

A GoPro in your pocket?
A “GoPro in your pocket” is rapidly becoming standard operating procedure for many cave divers. If you are thinking about adding the new GoPro Hero 8 to your inventory, there is something you should know first.

The real story on a discredited practice
You already know the importance of turning tank valves all the way on. But do you know the real origin of the now-discredited practice of turning them back a quarter turn?

Backmount: Not Dead Yet
According to our recent survey, there may be more sidemounters than backmounters in caves. But if you backmount, don’t worry. The days of backmount are far from over.

Pure spoolishness
One of the most significant advances in cave diving technology got its start in the most unlikely of places.

Real cave divers, real behavior
Readers have been eagerly awaiting the results of the survey we launched last week on cave diver behavior. Here is the raw data.

Are you among the 300?
If you are among the 300 people who responded to our recent survey, you just made a valuable contribution to cave diving. And you didn’t have to die in a hail of arrows to do it.

Cave diving’s contribution to…the drug trade?
The next time you read about the seemingly endless flow of drugs into the country, know that in a rather bizarre way, we may have helped.

Eight questions to ask before your DPV class
DPVs can take your cave diving to a whole different level. But before you sign up for DPV Cave Diver training, there are eight hard questions you must ask.

Squared Away
Last week we told you why cave divers don’t use wrist lanyards. Now it’s time to talk about what we do instead.”

Why cave divers don’t use wrist lanyards
One thing you won’t see on cave diving lights are wrist lanyards. Cave divers don’t use them and neither should you.

How cave diving changed everything
Few things have had as much impact on the diving world as cave diving has. In fact, we pretty much changed the entire diving landscape.

Six things to avoid in a cave diving computer
Whether you are new to cave diving or just want to provide good advice to someone who is, here are six “features” to stay away from.

Why are the main lines gold?
The reason why the main lines in Florida’s most popular caves are gold is history that deserves to be remembered.

“Use your own damn analyzer…”
If you are a cave or tech diver and you don’t have your own gas analyzer…Shame! Shame!

How NOT to Sidemount
Can you teach yourself to sidemount? Possibly. But here’s why you don’t want to.

Why cave divers dive dry
Water temperature throughout north-central Florida’s cave country is a constant 22° C/72° F. That’s room temperature…right? So why do so many cave divers dive dry?

Squeezing through with Skiles
Sadly, few of today’s cave divers ever had the pleasure of knowing one of cave diving’s most famous pioneers…or of experiencing a roller coaster ride through Wes’s special House of Crazy.

Why do older reels have the handle on the top?
There was actually a very good reason. But it had little to do with the reels themselves and almost everything to do with lights.