As a freediving instructor who operates in the same areas where this video was filmed, I'd like to go on record that I condemn publicly advocating freediving in an overhead environment like this. This inspires novices to try it, and there are better, safer places to push yourself in freediving. I hope this individual is prepared to have death on his conscience. Not to mention lights are not permitted in Ginnie caves unless you're a certified cave diver. Bottom line is, sure, he's giving you tips on doing this unsafe activity as safely as possible, BUT, I'd like to hear him explain how he's obeying the most important rule of freediving: never dive alone. Assuming he had one, how will his buddy help him if the buddy has no direct eye-line? He has no chance of being recovered if (when) he gets hit with a blackout. Any experienced instructor will tell you that blackouts will occur unpredictably. I'm not perfect, I have done cave crawling like this when I was a novice, but have since moved on to safer practices. I have seen four die in this way since I started.
Free diving is trendy but if you have the desire to go into caves, BECOME A CERTIFIED SCUBA DIVER (AND THEN STUDY CAVE DIVING ONLINE EXTENSIVELY) AT THE VERY FREAKIN’ LEAST! (And yes get certified if you have a week off to do it, and have the money)
@@PaulAnthonyDuttonUk the freedom / liberty mindset is very ideal. Reality is where dive sites are closed to the public for years due to one person with that mindset biting it, and their family suing the owners of the site.
10 TIPS FOR FREE DIVING IN CAVES: 1) Don't 2) Just don't 3) seriously...re-think your life 4) make better choices 5) finalize your last will and testament pre-dive 6) dive with lots of glowsticks to assist those looking to find your body 7) learn to accept the certainty of your demise 8) prepare to meet your maker 9) Master a really cool death look...so that your remains don't cause those working to retrieve your body to have a heart attack when they finally find you 10) consider just getting properly trained and equipped for cave diving so you don't become just another fatality statistic and get to enjoy a long career of cave diving and exploration
I had a dream recently that I was in a cave with thigh-deep water, checking it out with some other people, and my initial reaction within the dream was "hey guys, this is an overhead environment, we don't have the training or equipment for this, we should leave now." Your lessons apparently have seeped into my subconscious, very nice!
I have been having Dive Talk dreams too 😂 it’s like when you’re allergic to some type of food irl and your brain won’t let you eat it even in a dream. You’re brain is like “nope! You know better! Dream or not” lol
1. The only people who are allowed to have lights in the devils system at Ginnie are full cave divers…so this guy is already breaking the rules. 2. Last time I was in the ballroom, two divers started (slowly) going out just after a free diver went in. Trying to exit he was trapped behind them while they had no idea he was there. By the time he had room to get around them he was almost in full panic! Going into an enclosed overhead environment on a breath hold is just dumb!
The light rule is maybe the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. I understand that if you don’t have a light you won’t dive as far (probably) But if I’m going to dive a cave I’m not supposed to be in anyway of course I’m going to bring a light to increase my chance of survival! Banning lights is completely dangerous for those who wish to live their life accordingly
@@TheBen9701 Perhaps, but I am certain it has more to do with liability and a little to do with the ability to remove individuals breaking this rule. IF the spring watchers (those who work for Ginnie and look for armbands at the springs) see you with a light and no cave armband, they have the right to remove you. They also can avoid being sued if you take a light into the cave without training. If you drown, they can show that you signed that you would not do such a thing.
@Jane Smith In what case? I could not get to the free diver before they were able to get around the divers and leave the cave. In general, I would always offer someone a regulator before I let them drown. However, as I understand it, free divers know little of lung over expansion. If I ever offer a reg to a non-diver, I am grabbing on to them TIGHTLY so we can ascend together.
As a freediving instructor I know, not one of the big organizations is teaching cave freediving. There is not much room for error, if that would be a real course, it's just a matter of time until someone is going to die - way too dangerous.
I think you can make a video called 'top tips for safely cave diving'. Make a 4 hour video of the both of you sitting there repeating "get cave certified"
I think the first cave diver in history did not have a certificate! Think about it! With the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger: Screw your Certificate :-)
@@andrewr2349 I just want to make sure you guys understand that cave diving and freediving is NOT the same thing. Just like we have rules for driving a motorcycle that don't apply to riding a bycicle. The activities might be similar, and some things do apply to both, but they are not the same thing.
Exactly Gus. Seems they missed that big time. Big difference and what I said was I’m not really experienced enough in free diving to critique it properly. Zero to do with cave dive training.
@@andrewr2349 this is Woody. Faking? I’m confused on your comment but nevertheless this is free diving which I said I wasn’t qualified to properly critique on what he said. Zero to do with cave diving for scuba divers and the fact that all cave divers should be cave certified. Two totally different things. Not sure what or how free divers train for caves. A free diving instructor would need to comment on that .
There's no SAFE way to free dive in an overhead environment. There's no redundancy... Free diving that deep at all is scary, if anything goes wrong you just die. With scuba we always try to have a backup plan for everything that could go wrong. This guy is amazing but he is taking HUGE risks with his life.
Are you a free diver that specializes in caves? If not then you can’t say it is or isn’t. Just like non cave divers can’t pass judgment on cave divers because thy think it’s dangerous and shouldn’t done. I would say free diving has less overall risk as there is zero reliance on equipment. It’s all you and if you know your limits then that’s your guide.
@jtcustomknives I didn't say people shouldn't do it. I just said there's no safe way to do so. Think about it logically and you'll see there's no secondary safety mechanism. You said yourself it's all on you.
I feel like Gus eventually gives in though. I imagine 30yrs ago... Woody: "Gus, we are going to learn how to scuba dive." Gus: "no" Woody: "yes" And the rest was history.
I would happily take the criticism too and be on the safe side. Just don't do it. This guy should take his video down in all honesty. I can understand his intent to try and be helpful, but the path to hell is paved with good intentions. You guys are absolutely taking the right stance by refusing to encourage this. This is one of those hobbies/sports that 100% requires careful training to go ahead with - and a youtube video is not the place to learn those skills.
@@ts552 not only do they play it but they endorse it. They completely disregard the 5 rules they used to talk about. This guy went into caves and didn’t follow even 1 rule and woody saying he wants to try it. This episode was irresponsible in so many ways
@@andrewr2349 I guess there are people out there doing this kind of thing. If so, the guy is giving advices about It. It is something we don't do but I guess for some few guys It is a sport.
@@megami.x Good point. I guess the people that do this kind of thing can hold their breath for a really long time so It is legit, not fantasy. Dangerous? Fucking yes. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND buuut for those who do this the guy is actually giving good advice. Not for everyone tho
I'm glad you aren't giving regular public ideas on how to cave dive. Saving yourself from that liability from whoever hurts themselves or worse following your advice. I'm so glad you guys are so conscious of the publics safety. Thanks for caring about us guys!!!
This is like free-soloing. It can be done, but it should only be done by someone who is entirely aware of the consequences (and not just for themselves)
There have been so many deaths from divers who arent cave trained and "just want to go in a little bit." They end up getting turned around and lost. This just seems bananas to me, and so incredibly dangerous. I fully agree with woody in saying the "how to" videos are a hazard because people will think they can UA-cam it and then jump in. Let's face it, there are a lot of stupid people out there. We have common sense so it's hard to wrap your head around those who don't, but they are out there in abundance. There definitely will be that section of people that will look up a how to video to cave dive and just go for it.
I've seen Scuba gear at the flea markets, estate sales, and liquidations of everything from pool supply to pawn shops... I can admit there was a certain itch when I was admiring the fins, tanks, masks... As far as I knew at the time "all the kit you need to get started"... AND I could have laid down 500 bucks cash and owned it... ALL of it... Mix that potential temptation with a YT video TEACHING about this kind of thing... and the next thing you know, there's somebody with more money than brains on a half a tank of air jumping into the figurative "deep end" and very quickly getting into trouble they can't possibly handle... regardless of dive plan or lack thereof. I bought a motorcycle instead, since I actually KNOW SOMETHING about those. I think I made the wiser decision, all things considered. ;o)
I'm scuba diver and a freediver. I NEVER go in ship wrecks underwater caves and basicly I never go inside something underwater. Bad things hapens very fast and we only have one life. Be safe and use your brain. Love how Woody said : "Don't, don't go into the cave when you freedive. That's my tip Nr.1". Keep the good work.
Lol you can tell just how stressed out Gus is watching this guy. As if cave diving with all the right equipment and training isn't dangerous enough, free diving a cave is next-level insanity.
Cool! Please do more of such reaction with no preparations. It looks very natural. I think that disagreement between two of you in such reactions is not a bad thing eather. Just live reactions of two experienced divers. Good job!
Jumped to this video off of the Audrey Mestre react. Had to decompress from that heart-wrenching watch, and this was exactly what I needed! Right off, Woody's cute head scarf already made me smile. 😊 I love the lightness of this video from a year ago. Thanks, Woody and Gus!! 💕 🤍 💗
Top 5 tips for cave diving. 1) Become trained in all equipment needed for cave diving 2)Train some more with all equipment necessary for cave diving 3) GET TRAINED ON HOW TO DIVE IN CAVES FROM A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR!!!!! 4) Dive with experienced cave divers 5)Get more training!!!!!! 6) (Bonus) STAY THE HECK OUT OF CAVES UNTIL PROPERLY TRAINED!
My fear of not being able to find my way to the surface precludes me getting any sort of enjoyment from the scenery........which is absolutely beautiful while watching these videos safely in my room!! Of course I'm not, nor will I ever be anything close to being a diver. But I love watching these, Woody and Gus!
25:21 Yeah he's very impressive. I just wish he'd emphasize the difficulty of what he's doing. Being humble is great, but he's making it seem like something anyone can do with a little practice.
7:52 I respect your hesitation to criticize, but if someone is skilled and experienced enough to freedive into a cave they're not watching UA-cam for these basic tips. That's for people who are new to the activity, people who absolutely shouldn't enter an underwater cave, especially without any gear.
He may never get hurt. Maybe, he's that good at it. BUT, his video giving tips may encourage others that aren't so good at it to emulate him and that may not be a good thing. 14 tips is not a curriculum; is not a course; and shouldn't even be a video IMO. You won't find this as a course within any reputable training agency. Too many dangers including ones that weren't in his 14 tips.
@@_e5598 I would have a similar attitude; however, free-soloing is a super elite area that far fewer novice people could even overcome their own fears to try. Free diving on the other hand lends itself to a larger audience of attempts IMO. Therefore, if Alex Honnold were giving tips on how to free solo; I think far fewer people would be likely to try any of those tips at all as compared to say if Herbert Nitsch were giving tips on free diving in caves. All absurd, to be sure. Free Solo is supported by a community of people that do it. Is it dangerous? Yes. Are novices likely to attempt it? No, I don't think so. That can't be said for freediving in caves. The dangers there are not so obvious. Way more could happen than a novice would ever even realize by listening to "tips". Having been in many caves myself (on scuba), I have a healthy respect for that environment. People don't belong there period without proper training and equipment. If this gentleman wants to found an educational curriculum for free diving in caves, I think he'd have an impossible task ahead of him. This nor free solo is something you'd take a class on anyway. I wouldn't certify you even if it were a thing. Too much possibility of you dying. These activities may benefit more from a mentor/apprentice relationship. That is the kind of care and attention that would be required.
@@diveguy7123 I understand the accessibility aspect, but I think in that way a lot of what you said about cave diving is still true for free soloing. Turns out this guy knew what he was talking about. I think your familiarity with caves means you know the dangers and thus take your perspective. You are right about people's natural fear of heights keeping them off the wall, but the statement "People don't belong there period without proper training and equipment" is true for even standing at the base. My equivalent hobby is back country ski touring. If you follow the rules, you can massively mitigate risk; if you don't have gear (let alone training) there is not much we can do for you if something DOES go wrong (if you are buried without a beacon, you die) Does that mean that I would automatically say that you can't go anywhere near the snow without gear? Depends, as it did in this video. I agree with you that this video makes it seem extremely accessible, but I don't think your avg breath holder is finding themselves poking around caves much either. People ought to have more respect for water in general
i would like to say thank you to gus and woody, as of watching you guys made want to try scuba. I just pass my open water. thank you so much for that much love to you two.
Not even a diver, but I watch everything you put out because I love the little nuggets of information dropped by people who are so passionate about doing their hobby safely. I will never not be grateful for the times you warn about hyperventhilating and shallow water blackout. Thank you. -FG (For Gabriel)
"i've seen people go in without flashlights, and that's just crazy" i feel like there could be a matryoshka doll of react videos of ppl calling each other crazy for increasingly crazy activities lmao
Hey guys! Few months ago I started to think about scuba diving. I did some research about this sport and found your channel and Jonathan's Blue World channel, since then I've gotten fascinated about going under water. That's Dive Talk that really tought me a how to respect and approach diving safely. At first I had a plan to attend a scuba trip in some warm water place like Grece or Egipt. But after watching a lot of your content, the first thing I did, was getting certified for OWD at harsh Polish lake environment where visibility is poor, water cold, and silt is easily agitated, to be prepared even for simple shallow scuba diving elsewhere. This is the start of a diving jurney for me. Thank you for putting the awareness about diving safety here on UA-cam.
I enjoyed the point he made about air pockets being an unknown variable, just because you took just a s big of a breath as you normally would, doesn't mean you got the same amount of air as you normally would. Never really took time to think of it like that, but then again never been in a cave at all lol..
I thought he was nuts before, and I still think he is nuts after watching it. So much can go wrong, and as a free diver you are operating with much less time to figure out a solution to any problems that come up. Learning to recognize the rocks to find your way back out sounds like total insanity.
Long time fan of Dive Talk!!! I love this comment section too. Almost always civil, open minded and almost never controversial. This video seems to strike a nerve however and is an outlier. I do think that is for a reason. I mean this as respectfully as possible but I think there is a disconnect on what you are saying and what people are hearing. Something you can’t explain in a comment section. What people heard on this video was a deviation from the usual safety always first. Free diving is not as safe as scuba diving, I think people can agree. It’s an extreme sport meant for the top 1%. When you add caves into the mix, all it does is make a bad situation worse. I think we can agree that parallels between diving and free diving. So I believe where people are coming from is you failed to recognize that parallel well enough, it happens. I had the same thoughts as many of these people questioning why this was talked about without some sort of disclosure of never doing this. You are not our mom its not your job to tell us what’s safe and people should recognize that too. I think a great idea would be to honestly do research and make a comparison video. What it takes to do both. What caves add to each of these. Last thing I want to mention and you may want to keep in mind as your channel grows because I know for a fact you’ll be at 1,000,000 subs if you keep it up. You are filling arenas with some videos. You are filling stadiums with others. You owe no one your attention. Community engagement is amazing for a channel it gives people and attachment to it. However Beyoncé is not expected to meet all 250,000 people in attendance at the Super Bowl when she performs in half time and you aren’t expected to explain yourself to each of your viewers. Hope the best for you two. Go Dawgs.
I always love watching you guys. I thank you for all the incredible research and information. It helped me connect better with my brother in law who was rebreather trained in the military. I can't thank you enough for such a great show and such interesting topics.
The thing about freedovingis it’s WAYYYY EASIER TO KNOW YOUR LIMITS. You have a physical urge to breathe from CO2. On scuba it’s WAAAYYY EASIER to go above your capabilities. Natural response ses takes over with apnea
"Hyperventilating causes shallow water blackouts" I'll take credit for that. Left that comment awhile ago. Just kidding. Seriously though great content. I love how you guys learn and keep an open mind about things. I'll never consider myself an expert at anything. That's when you stop learning and accidents happen.
@@richardbuse228 the body's compensation for decreased CO2 is to go nighty night. It slows the breathing down increasing the CO2. Pretty harmless on land but deadly in the water.
@@cjmeyers2926 It's not so much your body compensating for decreased CO2 that makes you lose consciousness. The CO2 concentration would be lowest just as a freediver takes their last breath and goes under. It's the lack of CO2 signalling that it is time to breathe that makes someone stay under and run out of oxygen without seeing it coming.
as someone who has been SCUBA diving a total of 1 times, who isnt much of a fan of swimming (love fishing and being on the water though), i find your videos excellent. informative. instructional. engaging. fun. it makes me want to learn how to dive, one day. love your honesty and focus on critical thinking and the importance of doing things the right way, instructing the right way. hope you guys keep it coming!!
Great Video, I was creased at Gus laughing at the beginning XD This video did not turn out like I thought it was going to! I thought the same as you guys that he was going to be dangerous, but I agree he had some very good points!
Pulling on rocks etc seems crazy dangerous to a layman like me. Silting, possibly causing a path to get blocked by a dislodged log etc or even destabilising/weakening the supportive rock structure. It certainly seems like he is not emphasising the dangers or prior experience/training needed to be able todo such free dives. Because of that it wouldn’t surprise me if ppl see his video and try it, as the wording etc is all very casual.
Respect to the commenters for their objective discussions progressing more through the video and the original video poster for clearly having skill and an experienced outlook on performing this kind of free diving. Agreed on the fact that the video in discussion is most certainly taylored to very VERY experienced and capable freedivers. Nice video.
Its so hard for me to believe hes doing all this without air... he seems so calm and to just be enjoying the dive looking around... gotta be a guiness record breath hold... it seems so impossible for many reasons... that being said, I really enjoyed his video and how beautiful the caves are. lol ill shut up now 😄 I keep having things to say.
I see you guys are getting a lot of flack for this one. I’ve been binge watching your videos for 3 days straight. I have no interest in ever even Scuba diving. I know I would panic. But anyway, it’s very clear that cave diving and free diving at caverns and caves are two totally different things, I still Think it’s super dangerous and I don’t see the allure to free dive even a second into a cave but like you’ve said, you can’t apply all the same rules here because it’s two totally different ball games! Good work as always guys! Love every video and love the way you too interact. A perfect duo!!
Being an experienced freediver, let me confirm, diving into caves is NOT something we are recommended to do, or train specifically to do. I have been in deep swim-throughs, but there is so much safety, studying the exits and entrances, plotting the route, and communication with my buddy and the surface involved ahead of those dives... He didn't mention a buddy once, though, did he? I really hope that freediving novices won't think that this is safe to do.
BANANAS....thought the vid was literally called that and thought"mmmn how appropriate".and you are so modest Woody,saying you're both newbie divers.Goodman...cant wait for this!!!can hear the giggling"Silence at the back,Gus!"!!!
Yes, agreed. It's as if his video is some sort of "supplement" for those who are already experienced and yet he's presenting like it's "just for anyone".
Thank you for doing this and for warning freedivers to avoid caves. I live in Newberry and am an experienced freediver who is at Ginnie a lot and never would I venture into a cave-ever. Once while at Ginnie a teenage boy around 14 came up out of Little Devil and nearly blacked out. If kids like that see the video you've reviewed, the video only encourages them that what they are doing is not foolhardy but something they can do fine with a few tips.
People freedive those systems LITERALLY every day of the year. I'm in gville and have been probably 30 times this year, met other freedivers in the caves every single time. IDK why people act like you watch a video then somehow don't lose the urge to breathe or get absolutely PANIC as you are swimming into the darkness. Little Devil isn't even overhead for gosh sakes. The same thing could happen in a swimming pool. The real risk is going into a tight cave where you can't turn around, like Dogwood. Ginnie Cavern you have a much greater risk of somoene dropping a rock on you or getting stabbed by a drunk than you do accidently going to far and running out of air.
I really found this one thought provoking. Freediving starts with a different premise - you only explore and return on one lungful of air, no back up, no equipment - free. The dangers it seems would be overestimating how far a lungful of air will take you and getting stuck (same for scuba). A buddy wouldn't do you any good because they wouldn't have spare air and the effort of dragging you out unconscious would over extend them. They could get help though but it would be too late for you. Mmm .... dangerous but fascinating and even amazing. I liked one comment comparing it to wingsuits (same differences between parachutes and all the rules and equipment and wingsuit 'flying'). I think its really about our need to challenge ourselves - like mountain climbers, or even astronauts. Getting up Everest with or without oxygen, diving - free or otherwise. Putting ourselves into alien environments and conquering our fears, overcoming challenges and pushing ourselves to the limits seems to be part of human nature. What one person sees as extreme and dangerous (that would be 'bananas' Woody) another sees as an invitation. I love your channel by the way
Well what a nice surprise. Was just watching some of your other videos and this pops up :) keep up the great content. I have never been diving but really enjoy learning about all the different stuff.
I'm not a water person, I can swim, but I don't. I don't do pools, lakes, ponds, and definitely not oceans. I'm not afraid of water but I do have a lot of respect for water. However, I find this podcast absolutely fascinating and I'm living vicariously through you guys, thanks for the entertainment.
The extent of my freediving is me holding my breathe swimming underwater but I sure as hell would never swim in a cave and see how long I can hold my breathe but I noticed there's channels that react badly to other peoples bad comments and will turn off the comments just because of a few people I wouldn't worry about them because most of us agree with you.
Gus when you laugh doesn't matter what it's about I'm laughing not with you but at you You're laugh is so giggly and infectious I've had face ache and chinese eyes with the odd happy tear!!!!!! I'm no diver but I never miss a video
I have a few points to make. All the rock grabbing could damage the cave and could throw up silt, with free diving fins you can only flutter kick causing a higher risk for silt, and how would you test a restriction to see if you would be able to turn around in it without going in it? Also y'all's point about how it seems it's directed towards anyone, professional or otherwise
What happened to “never go into a cave without a line”? This is incredibly stupid. I don’t care how good of a free driver you are. One mistake and you’re dead.
Even though this guy is "experienced" as a free-diver, he's really just gotten this far by luck alone. Sure, most of his tips are good (assuming you're highly experienced). But it only takes one unexpected thing/something to go wrong and now your "plan" while in there on one breath is changed. I still think it's not a good idea. If you're also sharing a dive space with other people, what happens when someone gets in your way on your way out? Or you run into something or someone? Drop your flashlight? So many variables that as long as everything goes just right, you may be okay but if you run into a problem, you've now put yourself into unnecessary danger.
I'm a bit shocked how many people went to the OG video and went: "Heard about you on Dive Talk, Amazing stuff dude". This is not amazing, that's one of the dumbest thing's I've ever seen. Scary stuff. Glad you two focus on safety. Sorry, but even if the video is intended for super experienced free divers, a lot of divers without experience will think "I can do this"
Sorry to get technical but took a course in College called Soils. And there is a difference between silt, clay and sand. You don't call sand silt just because its in a cave. Silt is silt and sand is sand. Clay is the smallest particle size, silt is the next biggest particle and sand is the largest. And in water they settle in this in layers usually sand on the bottom silt on top of that and clay on the top. They settle this way because the sand sinks to the bottom the fastest while the clay and the silt stay suspended in the water silt being heavier sinks next then the clay settle on top. This is why in caves with a high flow in them there will be less silt and clay and more sand, the clay and silt get blown away by the rushing water leaving the heavier sand. And in low flow/stagnant cave there will be more silt and clay covering up the sand. By the way all 3 of these particles are made up of the same thing broken down rocks.
Experience or not this just seems insanely dangerous, what if he silts out a cave can he use a line to get out? If one thing goes wrong he's toast. He's not dumb but I still think he has more balls than brains.
and then later he's been converted by this guy xD P.S. I'm a recent subscriber, I'm not a diver but I love watching your videos while doing my 3D work. Lots of great visual references for an environment artist! Thanks guys :D
New to ur channel but i find this stuff very fascinating n ive watched a few vids n yall def say to bring a back up to ur back up light, 11:35 this dude said hes seen people go into a cave WITHOUT a light...What?!?!?!
Half the sites in this video absolutely prohibit free diving in overhead environments. For that I fault him. Encouraging dangerous activity is one thing, risking a site getting closed to EVERYONE, since its already closed to free diving... is stupid.
He should’ve made a disclaimer at the beginning of the video stating the risks, and who is this video intended for. He made have some “valid points”, but the issue is that it sounds like he made it for everyone to try it.
This is where I grew up and had been going in all the cave in north Florida for years but one thing they should never have is a light. doing this is what made me get into full cave diving when there was very few doing it
I’ve been freediving for 7 years, I swam for Ohio state and have been swimming since I was 2 yrs old. I go into these caves, but very carefully and always with my dive buddy. We never leave the cavern zone, and we never go close to our limit. Too many amateur swimmers try and copy us, which is why we don’t go to ginnie anymore. It’s extremely dangerous even for me, no one should be doing this unless you’re an expert waterman. Just found this channel, love you bois!
Really the golden number one tip of freediving in caves is to set your spawn point close so when you drown you don't have far to walk 🤷🏻♂️ this guy is obviously a rookie 😒
The guy might know what he is doing, and has obviously been doing it a long time (and not died). But it seems incredibly dangerous to format his video in a set of 'easy to follow in order to not die tips.' If he had made the video purely for experts in the field, then I think he would have stated at the start. Honestly the entire thing came off to me as a testosterone fueled 'look at all the dangerous stuff I can do' video.
This was insanely scary, the guy is incredibly impressive but I just don't believe you can memorize rocks in every orientation and visibility condition, I think this guy is incredible but that one passage he mistakes as something else is the time that he gets totally turned around and if he makes it out it's just luck. I mean you're doing something so inherently dangerous without any of the rules or protection that mitigates the risk.
I love seeing everyone literally at each others throats in the comments over this video. If anything I think Woody and Gus kinda held their tongues and took a different approach to this seeing as it was Free Diving and not Cave Diving with gear. I think maybe you guys could have been a little harder on this guy though… although you assumed this is for just the more advanced free divers he never once mentioned that or had any kind of disclaimer besides his basically making a joke out of the overall danger of cave diving. The fact he put this out there and it’s readily available to anyone means it’s inevitable that it’s going to be attempted now by people who are far underprepared and overconfident because they watched his video and think they have it all figured out now.
@@DIVETALK no no no! Thank YOU! Both Gus AND Woody! If not for you two… I’d not even have any interest in these topics, let alone have the sense/knowledge now, to even realize just how dangerous this stuff can be. Only a couple months ago I knew absolutely nothing about diving, cave diving, rebreathers, etc. Etc. Now I’m just eager to learn more and it’s all because of this channel.
Should've added the tip, "If lost find the line!" Or the importance of the line in general. Think that would've been a great tip but overall impressed. I wouldn't dare tho
Hey guys, it’s me and I know I’m late to this party, but I just wanted to say that freediving Florida spring caves is a new sport and I’m one of the trailblazers. I’ve noticed it growing in popularity over the years and I see too many yahoos freediving these caverns with little common sense. Instead of condemning them, I want to educate them. I used to be like them and had too many close calls. Since this is new, there isn’t any official training for it. And unfortunately too many scuba divers criticize it with the lens of cave scuba diving. It’s a different sport with different rules. My video was intended for everyone, novices and experts. Knowledge should be shared with all, thus growing a novice into an expert. It’s taken me years to advance to this level of freediving. Also, thanks for being understanding with my video.
Here’s my top 10 tips for freedivers to go into caves: (1) don’t do it. (2) don’t do it. (3) don’t do it. (4) don’t do it. (5) don’t do it. (6) don’t do it. (7) don’t do it. (8) don’t do it. (9) don’t do it. (10) don’t do it.
I love and respect your channel but this guy is trying to murder people. You need to be more firm with your commentary. This man is literally trying to kill people. It will lead to deaths
I am a little stuck on how you can test something out - if you are going to get stuck going through it, you are going to get stuck testing it, aren't you? What am I missing?
As a freediving instructor who operates in the same areas where this video was filmed, I'd like to go on record that I condemn publicly advocating freediving in an overhead environment like this. This inspires novices to try it, and there are better, safer places to push yourself in freediving. I hope this individual is prepared to have death on his conscience. Not to mention lights are not permitted in Ginnie caves unless you're a certified cave diver. Bottom line is, sure, he's giving you tips on doing this unsafe activity as safely as possible, BUT, I'd like to hear him explain how he's obeying the most important rule of freediving: never dive alone. Assuming he had one, how will his buddy help him if the buddy has no direct eye-line? He has no chance of being recovered if (when) he gets hit with a blackout. Any experienced instructor will tell you that blackouts will occur unpredictably. I'm not perfect, I have done cave crawling like this when I was a novice, but have since moved on to safer practices. I have seen four die in this way since I started.
Hey David! David Head here; you just wrote what I was thinking. Especially about sight-line/eye-line. And I have seen those deaths as well.
The comment I was looking for. Thanks.
Free diving is trendy but if you have the desire to go into caves, BECOME A CERTIFIED SCUBA DIVER (AND THEN STUDY CAVE DIVING ONLINE EXTENSIVELY) AT THE VERY FREAKIN’ LEAST! (And yes get certified if you have a week off to do it, and have the money)
@@PaulAnthonyDuttonUk the freedom / liberty mindset is very ideal. Reality is where dive sites are closed to the public for years due to one person with that mindset biting it, and their family suing the owners of the site.
@@davidcobiella6577 Not to mention the financial and emotional cost to the 1st responders that have to search for and recover the body.
"10 tips for skinny dipping in a volcano as safely as possible."
10 TIPS FOR FREE DIVING IN CAVES:
1) Don't
2) Just don't
3) seriously...re-think your life
4) make better choices
5) finalize your last will and testament pre-dive
6) dive with lots of glowsticks to assist those looking to find your body
7) learn to accept the certainty of your demise
8) prepare to meet your maker
9) Master a really cool death look...so that your remains don't cause those working to retrieve your body to have a heart attack when they finally find you
10) consider just getting properly trained and equipped for cave diving so you don't become just another fatality statistic and get to enjoy a long career of cave diving and exploration
🤣🤣🤣🤣
This made my bloody life at the moment... All perfect tips #5,#6
Lmfao!!
Number 9 had me wheezing 😂🤣
Hysterical
I had a dream recently that I was in a cave with thigh-deep water, checking it out with some other people, and my initial reaction within the dream was "hey guys, this is an overhead environment, we don't have the training or equipment for this, we should leave now." Your lessons apparently have seeped into my subconscious, very nice!
That’s awesome lol
😂😂😂👏👏👏
I have been having Dive Talk dreams too 😂 it’s like when you’re allergic to some type of food irl and your brain won’t let you eat it even in a dream. You’re brain is like “nope! You know better! Dream or not” lol
Same here 😂 because of those guys my first diving lesson ever is going to be next monday 😂😂.
Would you consider that a wet dream?
1. The only people who are allowed to have lights in the devils system at Ginnie are full cave divers…so this guy is already breaking the rules.
2. Last time I was in the ballroom, two divers started (slowly) going out just after a free diver went in. Trying to exit he was trapped behind them while they had no idea he was there. By the time he had room to get around them he was almost in full panic! Going into an enclosed overhead environment on a breath hold is just dumb!
AGREED!
The light rule is maybe the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. I understand that if you don’t have a light you won’t dive as far (probably)
But if I’m going to dive a cave I’m not supposed to be in anyway of course I’m going to bring a light to increase my chance of survival!
Banning lights is completely dangerous for those who wish to live their life accordingly
@@TheBen9701 Perhaps, but I am certain it has more to do with liability and a little to do with the ability to remove individuals breaking this rule. IF the spring watchers (those who work for Ginnie and look for armbands at the springs) see you with a light and no cave armband, they have the right to remove you. They also can avoid being sued if you take a light into the cave without training. If you drown, they can show that you signed that you would not do such a thing.
@@richardkilburn2253 that makes alot of sense
@Jane Smith In what case? I could not get to the free diver before they were able to get around the divers and leave the cave. In general, I would always offer someone a regulator before I let them drown. However, as I understand it, free divers know little of lung over expansion. If I ever offer a reg to a non-diver, I am grabbing on to them TIGHTLY so we can ascend together.
As a freediving instructor I know, not one of the big organizations is teaching cave freediving. There is not much room for error, if that would be a real course, it's just a matter of time until someone is going to die - way too dangerous.
I think you can make a video called 'top tips for safely cave diving'. Make a 4 hour video of the both of you sitting there repeating "get cave certified"
Could literally just do a montage of clips where they've said exactly that.
I think the first cave diver in history did not have a certificate! Think about it! With the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger: Screw your Certificate :-)
@@andrewr2349 I just want to make sure you guys understand that cave diving and freediving is NOT the same thing. Just like we have rules for driving a motorcycle that don't apply to riding a bycicle. The activities might be similar, and some things do apply to both, but they are not the same thing.
Exactly Gus. Seems they missed that big time. Big difference and what I said was I’m not really experienced enough in free diving to critique it properly. Zero to do with cave dive training.
@@andrewr2349 this is Woody. Faking? I’m confused on your comment but nevertheless this is free diving which I said I wasn’t qualified to properly critique on what he said. Zero to do with cave diving for scuba divers and the fact that all cave divers should be cave certified. Two totally different things. Not sure what or how free divers train for caves. A free diving instructor would need to comment on that .
Not once did he mention the number 1 rule of freediving. Never dive alone.
Seems like he be diving alone all the time.
There's no SAFE way to free dive in an overhead environment. There's no redundancy... Free diving that deep at all is scary, if anything goes wrong you just die. With scuba we always try to have a backup plan for everything that could go wrong. This guy is amazing but he is taking HUGE risks with his life.
Are you a free diver that specializes in caves? If not then you can’t say it is or isn’t. Just like non cave divers can’t pass judgment on cave divers because thy think it’s dangerous and shouldn’t done. I would say free diving has less overall risk as there is zero reliance on equipment. It’s all you and if you know your limits then that’s your guide.
@jtcustomknives I didn't say people shouldn't do it. I just said there's no safe way to do so. Think about it logically and you'll see there's no secondary safety mechanism. You said yourself it's all on you.
I love how Woody is always trying to get Gus to do stuff and Gus is just like, no xD
They must go gold diving though lol
@@mattk8810 agreed haha
I feel like Gus eventually gives in though. I imagine 30yrs ago...
Woody: "Gus, we are going to learn how to scuba dive."
Gus: "no"
Woody: "yes"
And the rest was history.
"test it little by little. When you drown, that's when you'll know you've gone too far."
There needs to be a Dive Talk shirt with "That's bananas" on it.
PLEASE!!
@@kat-nd3un aswell as "Stay on the line" or "Get certified"
I'd buy that
This shit is BANANAS
B
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I would happily take the criticism too and be on the safe side. Just don't do it. This guy should take his video down in all honesty. I can understand his intent to try and be helpful, but the path to hell is paved with good intentions. You guys are absolutely taking the right stance by refusing to encourage this. This is one of those hobbies/sports that 100% requires careful training to go ahead with - and a youtube video is not the place to learn those skills.
He gives a lot of advices. But in the end It feels like no one should EVER do what he does, except for top of the top professionals, as you both Said.
I'm not a cave diver but 7 minutes into the video, I found myself saying "are you guys really gonna play this ? This is bullshit."
Even if you’re a “professional” at whatever this is, you’re not immune to drowning. He has no back up plan.
@@ts552 not only do they play it but they endorse it. They completely disregard the 5 rules they used to talk about.
This guy went into caves and didn’t follow even 1 rule and woody saying he wants to try it. This episode was irresponsible in so many ways
@@andrewr2349 I guess there are people out there doing this kind of thing. If so, the guy is giving advices about It. It is something we don't do but I guess for some few guys It is a sport.
@@megami.x Good point. I guess the people that do this kind of thing can hold their breath for a really long time so It is legit, not fantasy. Dangerous? Fucking yes. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND buuut for those who do this the guy is actually giving good advice. Not for everyone tho
I'm glad you aren't giving regular public ideas on how to cave dive. Saving yourself from that liability from whoever hurts themselves or worse following your advice. I'm so glad you guys are so conscious of the publics safety. Thanks for caring about us guys!!!
This is like free-soloing. It can be done, but it should only be done by someone who is entirely aware of the consequences (and not just for themselves)
Yep
There have been so many deaths from divers who arent cave trained and "just want to go in a little bit." They end up getting turned around and lost. This just seems bananas to me, and so incredibly dangerous. I fully agree with woody in saying the "how to" videos are a hazard because people will think they can UA-cam it and then jump in. Let's face it, there are a lot of stupid people out there. We have common sense so it's hard to wrap your head around those who don't, but they are out there in abundance. There definitely will be that section of people that will look up a how to video to cave dive and just go for it.
I've seen Scuba gear at the flea markets, estate sales, and liquidations of everything from pool supply to pawn shops... I can admit there was a certain itch when I was admiring the fins, tanks, masks... As far as I knew at the time "all the kit you need to get started"... AND I could have laid down 500 bucks cash and owned it... ALL of it...
Mix that potential temptation with a YT video TEACHING about this kind of thing... and the next thing you know, there's somebody with more money than brains on a half a tank of air jumping into the figurative "deep end" and very quickly getting into trouble they can't possibly handle... regardless of dive plan or lack thereof.
I bought a motorcycle instead, since I actually KNOW SOMETHING about those. I think I made the wiser decision, all things considered. ;o)
Imagine STARTING a cave dive in an out-of-air scenario! Find your thrills somewhere else lol
I'm scuba diver and a freediver. I NEVER go in ship wrecks underwater caves and basicly I never go inside something underwater. Bad things hapens very fast and we only have one life. Be safe and use your brain. Love how Woody said : "Don't, don't go into the cave when you freedive. That's my tip Nr.1". Keep the good work.
Lol you can tell just how stressed out Gus is watching this guy. As if cave diving with all the right equipment and training isn't dangerous enough, free diving a cave is next-level insanity.
To me it seems like a lot of free divers like to tease death to prove something to others, or themselves
video: [starts]
gus: [immediate giggling]
woody: [smashing spacebar] it wont p a u s e
I am not a diver of any kind but I love all your vids. Keep it going guys. Your personalities and chemistry are brilliant
Wow, thank you!
Cool! Please do more of such reaction with no preparations. It looks very natural. I think that disagreement between two of you in such reactions is not a bad thing eather. Just live reactions of two experienced divers. Good job!
Noted!
Jumped to this video off of the Audrey Mestre react. Had to decompress from that heart-wrenching watch, and this was exactly what I needed! Right off, Woody's cute head scarf already made me smile. 😊 I love the lightness of this video from a year ago. Thanks, Woody and Gus!! 💕 🤍 💗
Top 5 tips for cave diving.
1) Become trained in all equipment needed for cave diving
2)Train some more with all equipment necessary for cave diving
3) GET TRAINED ON HOW TO DIVE IN CAVES FROM A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR!!!!!
4) Dive with experienced cave divers
5)Get more training!!!!!!
6) (Bonus) STAY THE HECK OUT OF CAVES UNTIL PROPERLY TRAINED!
There might be a thousand people on earth who can hold their breath long enough to penetrate that deep into
You guys were the last push I needed to finally go get certified, thank you so much!
Freediving into a cave? Jesus no. I almost bought scuba gear to retreive a toy from the deep end of our pool.
My fear of not being able to find my way to the surface precludes me getting any sort of enjoyment from the scenery........which is absolutely beautiful while watching these videos safely in my room!! Of course I'm not, nor will I ever be anything close to being a diver. But I love watching these, Woody and Gus!
25:21 Yeah he's very impressive. I just wish he'd emphasize the difficulty of what he's doing.
Being humble is great, but he's making it seem like something anyone can do with a little practice.
And the danger. Literally ANYTHING goes wrong and he dies. There's zero redundancy.
7:52 I respect your hesitation to criticize, but if someone is skilled and experienced enough to freedive into a cave they're not watching UA-cam for these basic tips. That's for people who are new to the activity, people who absolutely shouldn't enter an underwater cave, especially without any gear.
He may never get hurt. Maybe, he's that good at it. BUT, his video giving tips may encourage others that aren't so good at it to emulate him and that may not be a good thing. 14 tips is not a curriculum; is not a course; and shouldn't even be a video IMO. You won't find this as a course within any reputable training agency. Too many dangers including ones that weren't in his 14 tips.
what would you think about free-soloing tips?
@@_e5598 I would have a similar attitude; however, free-soloing is a super elite area that far fewer novice people could even overcome their own fears to try. Free diving on the other hand lends itself to a larger audience of attempts IMO. Therefore, if Alex Honnold were giving tips on how to free solo; I think far fewer people would be likely to try any of those tips at all as compared to say if Herbert Nitsch were giving tips on free diving in caves. All absurd, to be sure. Free Solo is supported by a community of people that do it. Is it dangerous? Yes. Are novices likely to attempt it? No, I don't think so. That can't be said for freediving in caves. The dangers there are not so obvious. Way more could happen than a novice would ever even realize by listening to "tips". Having been in many caves myself (on scuba), I have a healthy respect for that environment. People don't belong there period without proper training and equipment. If this gentleman wants to found an educational curriculum for free diving in caves, I think he'd have an impossible task ahead of him. This nor free solo is something you'd take a class on anyway. I wouldn't certify you even if it were a thing. Too much possibility of you dying. These activities may benefit more from a mentor/apprentice relationship. That is the kind of care and attention that would be required.
@@diveguy7123 I understand the accessibility aspect, but I think in that way a lot of what you said about cave diving is still true for free soloing. Turns out this guy knew what he was talking about. I think your familiarity with caves means you know the dangers and thus take your perspective. You are right about people's natural fear of heights keeping them off the wall, but the statement "People don't belong there period without proper training and equipment" is true for even standing at the base.
My equivalent hobby is back country ski touring. If you follow the rules, you can massively mitigate risk; if you don't have gear (let alone training) there is not much we can do for you if something DOES go wrong (if you are buried without a beacon, you die) Does that mean that I would automatically say that you can't go anywhere near the snow without gear? Depends, as it did in this video.
I agree with you that this video makes it seem extremely accessible, but I don't think your avg breath holder is finding themselves poking around caves much either. People ought to have more respect for water in general
I love how Gus uses "bananas" instead of "crazy"
I love that it's more inclusive of those with mental illness/personality disorders. Implies poor judgment rather than mental defect.
i would like to say thank you to gus and woody, as of watching you guys made want to try scuba. I just pass my open water. thank you so much for that much love to you two.
Not even a diver, but I watch everything you put out because I love the little nuggets of information dropped by people who are so passionate about doing their hobby safely. I will never not be grateful for the times you warn about hyperventhilating and shallow water blackout. Thank you.
-FG (For Gabriel)
I feel by the tone of the comments here, you guys should do a whole episode about freediving with someone who does It and has done for a long time. 😁✨
Best comment I have seen by far... You are on point my boy...
Absolutely
"i've seen people go in without flashlights, and that's just crazy" i feel like there could be a matryoshka doll of react videos of ppl calling each other crazy for increasingly crazy activities lmao
Lmao you’re absolutely right 😂 well put
Hey guys!
Few months ago I started to think about scuba diving. I did some research about this sport and found your channel and Jonathan's Blue World channel, since then I've gotten fascinated about going under water. That's Dive Talk that really tought me a how to respect and approach diving safely. At first I had a plan to attend a scuba trip in some warm water place like Grece or Egipt. But after watching a lot of your content, the first thing I did, was getting certified for OWD at harsh Polish lake environment where visibility is poor, water cold, and silt is easily agitated, to be prepared even for simple shallow scuba diving elsewhere. This is the start of a diving jurney for me. Thank you for putting the awareness about diving safety here on UA-cam.
I enjoyed the point he made about air pockets being an unknown variable, just because you took just a s big of a breath as you normally would, doesn't mean you got the same amount of air as you normally would. Never really took time to think of it like that, but then again never been in a cave at all lol..
I thought he was nuts before, and I still think he is nuts after watching it. So much can go wrong, and as a free diver you are operating with much less time to figure out a solution to any problems that come up. Learning to recognize the rocks to find your way back out sounds like total insanity.
Long time fan of Dive Talk!!! I love this comment section too. Almost always civil, open minded and almost never controversial. This video seems to strike a nerve however and is an outlier. I do think that is for a reason. I mean this as respectfully as possible but I think there is a disconnect on what you are saying and what people are hearing. Something you can’t explain in a comment section. What people heard on this video was a deviation from the usual safety always first. Free diving is not as safe as scuba diving, I think people can agree. It’s an extreme sport meant for the top 1%. When you add caves into the mix, all it does is make a bad situation worse. I think we can agree that parallels between diving and free diving. So I believe where people are coming from is you failed to recognize that parallel well enough, it happens. I had the same thoughts as many of these people questioning why this was talked about without some sort of disclosure of never doing this. You are not our mom its not your job to tell us what’s safe and people should recognize that too. I think a great idea would be to honestly do research and make a comparison video. What it takes to do both. What caves add to each of these.
Last thing I want to mention and you may want to keep in mind as your channel grows because I know for a fact you’ll be at 1,000,000 subs if you keep it up. You are filling arenas with some videos. You are filling stadiums with others. You owe no one your attention. Community engagement is amazing for a channel it gives people and attachment to it. However Beyoncé is not expected to meet all 250,000 people in attendance at the Super Bowl when she performs in half time and you aren’t expected to explain yourself to each of your viewers. Hope the best for you two. Go Dawgs.
I always love watching you guys. I thank you for all the incredible research and information. It helped me connect better with my brother in law who was rebreather trained in the military. I can't thank you enough for such a great show and such interesting topics.
You guys are one of the only channels when it says “we’ll leave it here” is actually clickable
The thing about freedovingis it’s WAYYYY EASIER TO KNOW YOUR LIMITS. You have a physical urge to breathe from CO2. On scuba it’s WAAAYYY EASIER to go above your capabilities. Natural response ses takes over with apnea
"Hyperventilating causes shallow water blackouts" I'll take credit for that. Left that comment awhile ago. Just kidding. Seriously though great content. I love how you guys learn and keep an open mind about things. I'll never consider myself an expert at anything. That's when you stop learning and accidents happen.
Isn't hyperventilating basically what a free diver does before every dive?
@@richardbuse228 the body's compensation for decreased CO2 is to go nighty night. It slows the breathing down increasing the CO2. Pretty harmless on land but deadly in the water.
@@cjmeyers2926 It's not so much your body compensating for decreased CO2 that makes you lose consciousness. The CO2 concentration would be lowest just as a freediver takes their last breath and goes under. It's the lack of CO2 signalling that it is time to breathe that makes someone stay under and run out of oxygen without seeing it coming.
as someone who has been SCUBA diving a total of 1 times, who isnt much of a fan of swimming (love fishing and being on the water though), i find your videos excellent. informative. instructional. engaging. fun. it makes me want to learn how to dive, one day. love your honesty and focus on critical thinking and the importance of doing things the right way, instructing the right way. hope you guys keep it coming!!
Thanks for sharing!
Great Video, I was creased at Gus laughing at the beginning XD This video did not turn out like I thought it was going to! I thought the same as you guys that he was going to be dangerous, but I agree he had some very good points!
Love the difference in perspectives between you two!! Such a great and informative video!
Great reaction guys ! Thanks for the upload !!
Just found this channel and I'm loving this content. You guys really rock and are very entertaining to watch.
Pulling on rocks etc seems crazy dangerous to a layman like me. Silting, possibly causing a path to get blocked by a dislodged log etc or even destabilising/weakening the supportive rock structure.
It certainly seems like he is not emphasising the dangers or prior experience/training needed to be able todo such free dives.
Because of that it wouldn’t surprise me if ppl see his video and try it, as the wording etc is all very casual.
Respect to the commenters for their objective discussions progressing more through the video and the original video poster for clearly having skill and an experienced outlook on performing this kind of free diving. Agreed on the fact that the video in discussion is most certainly taylored to very VERY experienced and capable freedivers. Nice video.
Its so hard for me to believe hes doing all this without air... he seems so calm and to just be enjoying the dive looking around... gotta be a guiness record breath hold... it seems so impossible for many reasons... that being said, I really enjoyed his video and how beautiful the caves are. lol ill shut up now 😄 I keep having things to say.
Yeah, there’s a group of guys doing this, he’s not the only one
I've watched enough dive talk to shout "don't freedive in the cave!!" Facepalm, hard facepalm.
Haha me too
I see you guys are getting a lot of flack for this one. I’ve been binge watching your videos for 3 days straight. I have no interest in ever even Scuba diving. I know I would panic. But anyway, it’s very clear that cave diving and free diving at caverns and caves are two totally different things, I still
Think it’s super dangerous and I don’t see the allure to free dive even a second into a cave but like you’ve said, you can’t apply all the same rules here because it’s two totally different ball games! Good work as always guys! Love every video and love the way you too interact. A perfect duo!!
Being an experienced freediver, let me confirm, diving into caves is NOT something we are recommended to do, or train specifically to do. I have been in deep swim-throughs, but there is so much safety, studying the exits and entrances, plotting the route, and communication with my buddy and the surface involved ahead of those dives... He didn't mention a buddy once, though, did he? I really hope that freediving novices won't think that this is safe to do.
Glad you posted this. Thanks
BANANAS....thought the vid was literally called that and thought"mmmn how appropriate".and you are so modest Woody,saying you're both newbie divers.Goodman...cant wait for this!!!can hear the giggling"Silence at the back,Gus!"!!!
Don’t overthink it. This guy’s “advice” is bananas.
Yes, agreed. It's as if his video is some sort of "supplement" for those who are already experienced and yet he's presenting like it's "just for anyone".
I feel like bananas should have gotten the quotes, there.
Playing Russian Roulette seem like a safer hobby. This is madness wrapped in bananas….
@@vell0cet517 Definitely shouldn't be playing Russian Roulette unless you have a decent grasp on statistical analysis...
Explain to me why it's 'bananas'?
You seem disconnected from the realities of your own species.
Thank you for doing this and for warning freedivers to avoid caves. I live in Newberry and am an experienced freediver who is at Ginnie a lot and never would I venture into a cave-ever. Once while at Ginnie a teenage boy around 14 came up out of Little Devil and nearly blacked out. If kids like that see the video you've reviewed, the video only encourages them that what they are doing is not foolhardy but something they can do fine with a few tips.
People freedive those systems LITERALLY every day of the year. I'm in gville and have been probably 30 times this year, met other freedivers in the caves every single time. IDK why people act like you watch a video then somehow don't lose the urge to breathe or get absolutely PANIC as you are swimming into the darkness.
Little Devil isn't even overhead for gosh sakes. The same thing could happen in a swimming pool. The real risk is going into a tight cave where you can't turn around, like Dogwood. Ginnie Cavern you have a much greater risk of somoene dropping a rock on you or getting stabbed by a drunk than you do accidently going to far and running out of air.
Basically he's saying "If you are going to take this risk, here is how to minimize the chances of something going wrong."
Love your reactions... Gus laughing made me bust out laughing too 🤣🤣🤣
I really found this one thought provoking. Freediving starts with a different premise - you only explore and return on one lungful of air, no back up, no equipment - free. The dangers it seems would be overestimating how far a lungful of air will take you and getting stuck (same for scuba). A buddy wouldn't do you any good because they wouldn't have spare air and the effort of dragging you out unconscious would over extend them. They could get help though but it would be too late for you. Mmm .... dangerous but fascinating and even amazing. I liked one comment comparing it to wingsuits (same differences between parachutes and all the rules and equipment and wingsuit 'flying'). I think its really about our need to challenge ourselves - like mountain climbers, or even astronauts. Getting up Everest with or without oxygen, diving - free or otherwise. Putting ourselves into alien environments and conquering our fears, overcoming challenges and pushing ourselves to the limits seems to be part of human nature. What one person sees as extreme and dangerous (that would be 'bananas' Woody) another sees as an invitation. I love your channel by the way
Well what a nice surprise. Was just watching some of your other videos and this pops up :) keep up the great content. I have never been diving but really enjoy learning about all the different stuff.
Hahaha woody literally every video: “this is so dangerous guys…”
And then Gus cracking up on the other side of the screen, priceless! 😂
That freediver hasn't uploaded anything in 5 years....he probably drowned doing what he loved.
I'm not a water person, I can swim, but I don't.
I don't do pools, lakes, ponds, and definitely not oceans. I'm not afraid of water but I do have a lot of respect for water.
However, I find this podcast absolutely fascinating and I'm living vicariously through you guys, thanks for the entertainment.
Thanks
Remember. He doesn't have any tanks or other hindrances. That would be phenomenal!
The extent of my freediving is me holding my breathe swimming underwater but I sure as hell would never swim in a cave and see how long I can hold my breathe but I noticed there's channels that react badly to other peoples bad comments and will turn off the comments just because of a few people I wouldn't worry about them because most of us agree with you.
The extent of my freediving is holding my breath in the bath lol
Gus when you laugh doesn't matter what it's about I'm laughing not with you but at you
You're laugh is so giggly and infectious I've had face ache and chinese eyes with the odd happy tear!!!!!!
I'm no diver but I never miss a video
Awe thank you
I have a few points to make. All the rock grabbing could damage the cave and could throw up silt, with free diving fins you can only flutter kick causing a higher risk for silt, and how would you test a restriction to see if you would be able to turn around in it without going in it? Also y'all's point about how it seems it's directed towards anyone, professional or otherwise
Although if you're just going down caverns and hi flow caves none of these may even be an issue.
P.S. please don't try this one woody
Not one I want to try, no worries!
What happened to “never go into a cave without a line”? This is incredibly stupid. I don’t care how good of a free driver you are. One mistake and you’re dead.
Even though this guy is "experienced" as a free-diver, he's really just gotten this far by luck alone. Sure, most of his tips are good (assuming you're highly experienced). But it only takes one unexpected thing/something to go wrong and now your "plan" while in there on one breath is changed. I still think it's not a good idea.
If you're also sharing a dive space with other people, what happens when someone gets in your way on your way out? Or you run into something or someone? Drop your flashlight? So many variables that as long as everything goes just right, you may be okay but if you run into a problem, you've now put yourself into unnecessary danger.
I'm a bit shocked how many people went to the OG video and went: "Heard about you on Dive Talk, Amazing stuff dude". This is not amazing, that's one of the dumbest thing's I've ever seen.
Scary stuff. Glad you two focus on safety. Sorry, but even if the video is intended for super experienced free divers, a lot of divers without experience will think "I can do this"
here are my 14 tips on how to juggle running chainsaws while riding a unicycle over a line between two skyscrapers while being lit on fire
😆
Sorry to get technical but took a course in College called Soils. And there is a difference between silt, clay and sand. You don't call sand silt just because its in a cave. Silt is silt and sand is sand. Clay is the smallest particle size, silt is the next biggest particle and sand is the largest. And in water they settle in this in layers usually sand on the bottom silt on top of that and clay on the top. They settle this way because the sand sinks to the bottom the fastest while the clay and the silt stay suspended in the water silt being heavier sinks next then the clay settle on top. This is why in caves with a high flow in them there will be less silt and clay and more sand, the clay and silt get blown away by the rushing water leaving the heavier sand. And in low flow/stagnant cave there will be more silt and clay covering up the sand. By the way all 3 of these particles are made up of the same thing broken down rocks.
13:36 is there a dead body in that crevasse to the left of the entrance?
Experience or not this just seems insanely dangerous, what if he silts out a cave can he use a line to get out? If one thing goes wrong he's toast. He's not dumb but I still think he has more balls than brains.
I love how Woody's advice often just boils down to "DON'T" xD
and then later he's been converted by this guy xD P.S. I'm a recent subscriber, I'm not a diver but I love watching your videos while doing my 3D work. Lots of great visual references for an environment artist! Thanks guys :D
New to ur channel but i find this stuff very fascinating n ive watched a few vids n yall def say to bring a back up to ur back up light, 11:35 this dude said hes seen people go into a cave WITHOUT a light...What?!?!?!
Half the sites in this video absolutely prohibit free diving in overhead environments. For that I fault him. Encouraging dangerous activity is one thing, risking a site getting closed to EVERYONE, since its already closed to free diving... is stupid.
He should’ve made a disclaimer at the beginning of the video stating the risks, and who is this video intended for. He made have some “valid points”, but the issue is that it sounds like he made it for everyone to try it.
Exactly, this video is on youtube, not some free diving forum.
If I were a free diver I still wouldnt be free diving into a cave. It just seems like a food way to get yourself killed.
forget woody and buzz, its all about woody and gus
Gus Lightyear to the rescue!
This is where I grew up and had been going in all the cave in north Florida for years but one thing they should never have is a light. doing this is what made me get into full cave diving when there was very few doing it
I’ve been freediving for 7 years, I swam for Ohio state and have been swimming since I was 2 yrs old. I go into these caves, but very carefully and always with my dive buddy. We never leave the cavern zone, and we never go close to our limit. Too many amateur swimmers try and copy us, which is why we don’t go to ginnie anymore. It’s extremely dangerous even for me, no one should be doing this unless you’re an expert waterman. Just found this channel, love you bois!
I have no idea how this guy can enjoy the cave. There would only be one thing on my mind the whole time I was down there.😂
Really the golden number one tip of freediving in caves is to set your spawn point close so when you drown you don't have far to walk 🤷🏻♂️ this guy is obviously a rookie 😒
The guy might know what he is doing, and has obviously been doing it a long time (and not died).
But it seems incredibly dangerous to format his video in a set of 'easy to follow in order to not die tips.' If he had made the video purely for experts in the field, then I think he would have stated at the start. Honestly the entire thing came off to me as a testosterone fueled 'look at all the dangerous stuff I can do' video.
This was insanely scary, the guy is incredibly impressive but I just don't believe you can memorize rocks in every orientation and visibility condition, I think this guy is incredible but that one passage he mistakes as something else is the time that he gets totally turned around and if he makes it out it's just luck. I mean you're doing something so inherently dangerous without any of the rules or protection that mitigates the risk.
I think free diving in a cave would be a good way to meet Edd Sorenson (and not remember it)
I love seeing everyone literally at each others throats in the comments over this video. If anything I think Woody and Gus kinda held their tongues and took a different approach to this seeing as it was Free Diving and not Cave Diving with gear. I think maybe you guys could have been a little harder on this guy though… although you assumed this is for just the more advanced free divers he never once mentioned that or had any kind of disclaimer besides his basically making a joke out of the overall danger of cave diving. The fact he put this out there and it’s readily available to anyone means it’s inevitable that it’s going to be attempted now by people who are far underprepared and overconfident because they watched his video and think they have it all figured out now.
Very well said and constructive point. We agree and appreciate these types of constructive comments. Thank you!
@@DIVETALK no no no! Thank YOU! Both Gus AND Woody! If not for you two… I’d not even have any interest in these topics, let alone have the sense/knowledge now, to even realize just how dangerous this stuff can be. Only a couple months ago I knew absolutely nothing about diving, cave diving, rebreathers, etc. Etc. Now I’m just eager to learn more and it’s all because of this channel.
Should've added the tip, "If lost find the line!" Or the importance of the line in general. Think that would've been a great tip but overall impressed. I wouldn't dare tho
Isn't it possible for those "air pockets" to be gasses other than air? I swear id heard that somewhere, like methane ect.
Yeah
Hey guys, it’s me and I know I’m late to this party, but I just wanted to say that freediving Florida spring caves is a new sport and I’m one of the trailblazers. I’ve noticed it growing in popularity over the years and I see too many yahoos freediving these caverns with little common sense. Instead of condemning them, I want to educate them. I used to be like them and had too many close calls. Since this is new, there isn’t any official training for it. And unfortunately too many scuba divers criticize it with the lens of cave scuba diving. It’s a different sport with different rules. My video was intended for everyone, novices and experts. Knowledge should be shared with all, thus growing a novice into an expert. It’s taken me years to advance to this level of freediving.
Also, thanks for being understanding with my video.
if people with air tanks and all the flashy gear can die easily down there id imagine free divers are at a 100x risk of dying.
There is literally no free dive agency that says you should swim in an overhead environment.
That's what I thought
Every time Aquaman gets drunk he comes out with this stuff!
Here’s my top 10 tips for freedivers to go into caves:
(1) don’t do it.
(2) don’t do it.
(3) don’t do it.
(4) don’t do it.
(5) don’t do it.
(6) don’t do it.
(7) don’t do it.
(8) don’t do it.
(9) don’t do it.
(10) don’t do it.
I love and respect your channel but this guy is trying to murder people. You need to be more firm with your commentary. This man is literally trying to kill people. It will lead to deaths
Man get this guy for interview, this shit is crazy bad ass.
I am a little stuck on how you can test something out - if you are going to get stuck going through it, you are going to get stuck testing it, aren't you? What am I missing?
Am I the only one concerned that that cave free diver hasn’t uploaded a video in 7 years?
Yikes! I went to check (Feb 2024) and the channel thankfully replied to a comment on his video 7 months ago 😅