ABSTRACT
Water is an essential agent in the formation of most limestone caves and many systems are still in a stage of development at which some parts remain permanently submerged. The desire to explore such underwater sections of cave passage is almost as old as recreational caving itself. A significant number of conventional cavers regard those who wish to dive into these dark flooded tunnels as the lunatic fringe. However, determined individuals who make the financial and time commitments to learn how to operate safely in this so-called “merciless environment”, will experience one of the greatest opportunities for original exploration on Earth. The evolution of cave diving techniques has closely followed the development of diving equipment in general. Indeed, cave divers have contributed to the latter many times. This entry briefly reviews over 200 years of underwater achievements by many generations of cave explorers. It is inevitably only a summary of various milestone events from around the world; greater detail is available in Farr (2000), which provides essential reading.
