What is the difference between cave diving and spelunking?

A spelunker enters a cave for recreational, touristic purposes while a caver explores the cave for professional, geological reasons. So if you are wondering about the difference between caving vs spelunking, one is recreational and the other is usually for scientific purposes.

Why is cave diving more dangerous?

So what are the risks unique to cave diving? Water is about 800 times heavier than air, and as divers descend, this increasing pressure impacts every breath taken. Too much oxygen or nitrogen – the main components of air – can lead to serious complications for divers of every level.

What is the most dangerous cave dive?

Among the adventurers brave enough to explore these underwater caverns, Eagle’s Nest is considered one of the planet’s most dangerous dives for its extreme depths and mazelike architecture. It has been called the “Mount Everest” of cave dives.

What is freshwater cave diving?

Cave diving is underwater diving in water-filled caves. It may be done as an extreme sport, a way of exploring flooded caves for scientific investigation, or for the search for and recovery of divers lost as a result of one of these activities.

How many active cave divers are there?

On a professional expedition, you might discover ancient rock formations that have never seen the light of day, or been touched by man. Cave diving isn’t a hobby; it’s a calling. Some experts estimate that as few as 75 people globally can call themselves professional cave divers.

Who are the best cave divers in the world?

He has been called “one of the world’s most accomplished cave-divers”, “the face of British cave diving,” and “the best cave diver in Europe”….Rick Stanton.

How long can cave divers stay underwater?

The average cave dive will last in excess of one hour, but some can last for as long as 15 hours if the right equipment and gas supply is available.

What’s the difference between a caving and a spelunking?

Just like it is for spelunking, caving refers to the exploration of caves. The difference, however, is in the way they are described and their connotations. In the 1960s, people in the caving circles started to see caving as more professional than spelunking. This means that a caver has more skills than a spelunker.

Do you call yourself a caver or a spelunker?

To be a pro, you should definitely call yourself a caver (and also learn the skills of course). The reason is that caving is the official name for the international sport. It’s more widespread in use than spelunking. They’ll understand you in the UK, Holland (where there are, of course, lots of caves), Spain.

What’s the difference between a flashlight caver and a spelunking?

Spelunking means more … Nowadays, ‘spelunking’ is the derogatory term for unprepared caving trips. It’s right up there with ‘flashlight caver’. It doesn’t end there, though. Spelunking also has some other, rather questionable denotations. Spelunking is now used as sexual slang. I’ll try and keep it decent.

What’s the difference between a caving and a caver?

Caving is the word for cave exploring. It’s the recreational exploration of caves. A caver is someone who explores caves as a sport. Both simply come from the word cave (obviously). I won’t pretend it’s more complicated than it is. Let’s leave it at that and move on.