MICHAEL SMALL
Marine Corps Air Station
Cherry Point, North Carolina
It was just like any other spring Saturday morning on Okinawa, Japan. We were donning our gear and getting ready for the first of two dives that day. Little did I realize this would be one of the most exciting things I’d do while in Okinawa.
Our weekend outings to different scuba dive locations had become the norm, and we always tried to make each trip a little different. This particular morning would be my first cave dive. Our lead diver was a rescue dive instructor who had lived on the island for more than 15 years and knew the waters like the back of his hand. We talked about the dive and discussed safety, primarily what we should and shouldn’t do when entering caves. He made sure we were buddied up for gear checks as well as the dive. Then it was time to hit the water.
The water was clear and we could see a lot of fish in the area. Making sure our buddies were still with us, we enjoyed the underwater sights while our lead diver searched for a cave to explore. He usually liked to take his dive buddies through a central chamber that leads to a series of large caves. This time, however, he noticed a small cave he hadn’t previously seen. He figured it was formed by recent seismic activity the previous week and decided it would be our cave.
As we gathered around, he entered the cave to take a quick look. When he came out, he informed us that the cave was only big enough for one diver at a time. Also, because of the sediment in the cave, we’d have to pull ourselves along instead of using our flippers.
Once we were ready, we entered the cave one at a time at two-minute intervals. Our rallying point was about 30 yards away near the cave exit. I was the third of six divers to enter. With my arms outstretched in front of me, I slowly crawled through the opening. I was about halfway through when I stopped to take a quick break. When I tried to pull myself forward again, my regulator line appeared to be caught on something and I couldn’t reach back to check. I tried to back out of the cave but only moved about six inches before I got caught again. I was scared and began breathing hard as I pulled myself back and forth without success. I felt like I was trapped in a coffin. But was I really trapped?
I took a quick, deep breath and told myself to relax. At that point, I decided to try and roll and see if I could work myself free. It worked! I rolled 90 degrees on one side and got free and then pulled myself the rest of the way out of the cave. When I exited, I quickly looked at my gauges and noticed I’d used more than three-quarters of my air inside the cave. I motioned to my buddy and let the others know we were surfacing.
Back at the dive van, we discussed what had happened. I was told that when I exited the cave, I was white as a ghost and my eyes were as big as blowfish. It may have seemed funny at the time, but looking back, it wasn’t funny at all.
My experience taught me only experienced divers should go into caves. Even then, they should be very careful. I was lucky. I could have gotten stuck in that cave and depleted my tanks, leaving everyone wondering what happened. I still dive today, but I stay away from unexplored caves. I leave that to more experienced divers.