OPEN WATER DIVERS DIVE INTO EAGLE'S NEST

The "Mount Everest of Underwater Caves" is a deep sink with both upstream and downstream tunnels. There is a large debris cone in the center that slopes downward.

This site is deep (310') and a very advanced dive. The NACD and NSS-CDS recommends that you have the following MINIMUM qualifications to dive:

- Full Cave Certification
- Trimix certification
- Appropriate experience with deep cave dives

And how many of these MINIMUM qualifications did the divers in the video appear to have?...Well, you be the judge.

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[FoundInTheRiverAndCaves]

Never, did I ever expect this video to be seen outside our circle. With such a small channel I can't fathom how it made it onto the list for you Gus. I am in total and absolute agreement with everything you guys said. This was a dive that was done long before I added the commentary, so it certainly appears hypocritical. Just to update everyone...all the people in the video did progress through many training levels, cave included. We often look back at this video and kick ourselves in the butt, so I can't complain about some of the comments I received. Sometimes "concern" is expressed as anger or harsh criticism. I say the same darn things about the divers in some of your reactions. I just never imagined one of mine would make the list. To be clear, I have no issue at all with any of Gus and Woody's reaction. They are the reason we continued our training. We would see them react to a video and would say to ourselves, "Crap, we did that too." When you do things worth getting spanked for, you have to accept the consequences. I never thought so many would see it, so I absolutely need to either remove it, or add a disclaimer since it could impact someone's view of what is OK or not.
Gus, I always appreciate your facepalms, they are always well deserved. I am sorry that we were part of that, but I am glad you were able to show it as something NOT TO DO. We love you guys and are grateful to you for sharing your knowledge and time.

[Joeldelliott]

The other day I mentioned to you guys about how my dive instructor in Dahab, Egypt, tried to take me through the Blue Hole on a single tank. But you just reminded me of another thing the same guy did on a drift dive. He'd never told me about how to control my breathing to conserve air, and we were on a drift dive, and 25 minutes before the dive ended, I ran out of air. He gave me his backup regulator, and then proceeded to dive so rapidly it almost tore it out of my mouth. He was just nuts, and I'm glad he didn't end up killing me. He had no business instructing. If I'd been more experienced, I would have reported him to PADI.

[Disappointed_Philosoraptor]

As an open water diver, i am absolutely confused why you'd even want to get in there.
I cannot imagine going into a gloomy little pond, only to get down a tube that is much too narrow for a comfortable dive (and also, as mentioned at the end, dangerious) only to end up in pitch black darkness with some rubble and a sign rightfully telling me i should not be there. If i want to dive in the dark i'll do a pleasant little night dive without any kind of dangerous tight spot or an overhead environment.
I am not saying cave diving is boring, i am saying there's nothing to enjoy for open water divers like me. Only cave divers with the necessary training end equipment can even enjoy such a dive without risking their lives. I am still bewildered they let the line, the literal only way to get out of that cave alive, out of their sight.

[stratonarrow]

Woody, from the perspective of a non-diver (just a big fan of the show and watching other people do dangerous things), I think it’s totally valid for you to say definitively that the person in the video is foolish because you’re qualified to say that. That doesn’t make you “elite.” You are a professional diver and a professional instructor, and your opinion (which I’m assuming is shared by 99.99% of the diving instructor community) is petty much law. Cheers!

[hunterowen]

Started watching as a non diver but so happy that this is my first video I’m watching as a SSI certified open water diver!

[Reaperr]

Gus, no need to worry about justifying why you guys critique people. You guys are simply highlighting the fact that a lot of people simply don't know how much they don't know, which either prevents people from dying or encourages them to get proper training.

[ChristelVinot]

"why go to a cave, die, and get it shut down for everyone else?" - gus lmao

[CraigNiel]

The people that say, "What's the problem, they went there and got out safe so there's no problem" are the same people that have the mentality of, "I rode my motorcycle at 160mph and didn't crash, therefore it's safe".

[SchizoaffectedGamer]

Since I've been a subscriber I really started taking my rehab very seriously. I was hit from behind on my motorcycle by a drunk driver while I was stopped at a red light. I spend 90% of my day in bed getting fat but you guys totally inspired me to get myself moving and hopefully, I can be a diver in a few years. I hope you are still making videos then. Thank you

[joncrow]

As a non-cave diver, watching these guys do this dive and THEN say stay in your training, I wanted someone to whack them upside the head with a rolled up newspaper and yell “bad divers! BAD!”.

[Dandeb]

Woody and Gus if anyone has watched any of your videos and hasn't come to the understanding you do this to educate, save lives and teach fun, safe diving, they're never going to get it. You can't teach those who refuse to learn. Neither one of you has EVER acted as know it alls. Plus you've given us many laughs with your own faux pas.... Your subscribers absolutely love you, keep on keepin on.

[Arcticnick]

The primary message I hear you guys talk about is safety, which is one of the main reasons your channel impresses me so.

[TheCanadianGuy]

The best tip I've heard from a gruff gentleman was "never apologize for saving people". By being critical of the divers and their choices not only are you spreading information and awareness of proper protocol and safety, but even in the cases where people have lost their lives you remain respectful and bring light to their final moments, and potential resting spots. May the rest easy, but never be forgotten.

[schpitz]

As an experienced instructor who is technical sidemount trained and mildly experienced at technical caves and wrecks I was wincing whilst watching this. The only solace is that nobody was hurt.

This is not to say in the least that I am an expert. I am certainly not. However, I am incredibly aware of risks involved with this type of dive environment.

I so glad to see the pinned post from the dive whose video this is. The lessons we can learn from both this video and his response are colossal.

Sadly, these types of video are representative of the undocuments risks a lot of divers do take on a regular basis.

I hope we can all learn lessons from this video regardless of our stature within the dive industry and community

[jessiesgolflife]

I feel like this shows once more that cave diving is absolutely no joke without the right equipment and training. Thank you guys for taking this so seriously!

[myladaperez]

The fact that with almost every reaction of yours we get A LESSON on safety, urges to get proper training, rules and how NOT TO DIE is like FINDING GOLD in the clickbaity unsafe world of youtube videos. Also the way almost every video ends up with the original diver coming here and having a great conversation on the comment section is AMAZING. You are my favorite and will always be. Never change, you are light in the middle of toxic social media behavior. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Rich-fgvj]

The Grim Reaper sign is ALWAYS shown very early in my open water classes. Not to scare new divers...but if that happens, so be it. But it's like a driving school that never shows you a stop sign.

[walteryippy]

As a OW diver with less than 20dives, this video kept me alert on what to/not to do when diving. It somehow becomes a memory or a voice calling out to me while diving "Hey, stick to your limit or you'll probably die". Love you guy's videos, love you guy's reactions and most importantly love you guy's advice. 👍🏻

[Scuba_Bro]

As an open water diver I only hung out at the entrance and helped the cave divers organize and move tanks around the line. I actually spent most of the time sort of leaning against the large rock with their extra tanks. Not even sure if I went past 15’… I was actually terrified to actually “go in” even a few feet. What these dudes did was not a great idea even if they are very experienced open water divers.

[mikesbigadventures]

I mean, they swam past the sign telling them to turn back... and then says to "dive your limits"? The saddest part of this is the "normalization of deviance" - they did something super dangerous and got away with it, so now they will think they CAN do it and will do something dangerous again. And maybe next time they won't be lucky.