Eagle's Nest Cave Mapping, Florida, 1990, Deep Breathing Systems

In 1990 Jim King's team of cave divers, Deep Breathing Systems, mapped an immense underwater Florida cave near the state's west coast. He studied the 1st Wakulla Springs Project by the US Deep Caving Team as a stepping stone to his project. My role was to document the work and show the cave diving community how the technology, gas mixes, and techniques of the day were being applied on these deep, extended dives. Long sequences from Jim's scooter-mounted camera allow other divers to "ride along" and relish the experience. The exposure and risks are still very serious today, although technology has improved greatly.

[@Silicon-rp9zt]

Those 90's electronic drum fills @8:11 are amazing. Its not every day I go delve into diving videos and find something that delivers my scuba nerd-out while also giving me that childhood nostalgia of 90's television. Great documentary. I hope to cave dive in Florida someday!

[@wawaelias8842]

pitch dark and surrounded by darkness is truly scary and uncomfortable, when i got swimming i stay where i can see the surface, but dame these dudes are brave and have massive cajones!!!

[@nct948]

This is exploration at its best, thorough with careful preparations and in-depth risk assessment. What a fascinating place. I was wondering if there was any sign of life, either flora or fauna, at those depths. Remarkable achievement, going truly where no man has ever gone before, the thrill of it. Thank you for your informative video.

[@paulderanek7164]

I saw this for the first time today and it was an odd experience. I was a member of a small group of divers who explored Eagle's Nest many times in 1967-68, about the same time Exley, et al, were. Two of our group, Frank Martz and Randy Hylton, either knew or had met him. My memory is not clear since it was so long ago. It's an eerie experience to see those familiar scenes so many years later. It brings back the rush and fascination we experienced every time we were there. I used to love to turn off my light and hold my breath just to experience the total darkness and silence. We were young and dumb...did our diving on straight air after filling tanks at Weeki Wachee. Mixes were just coming into use; most of us couldn't even afford wetsuits, much less that sort of exotica. I never went deeper than 240' because it scared the hell out of me and I got nitrogen narcosis. I volunteered to be the safety guy at the bottom of debris cone at about 150'. Co-divers did go to 300'. Sadly, on Father's Day 1968, my good friend, Melville (Billy) Palmer Eslin, drowned there while on a deep dive with Martz. Similar to the diver you lost, Frank said he looked back to check on Billy and he was unconscious. He was only 21. I have often wanted to return to Eagle's Nest, certainly not to dive but just to pay tribute to Billy as well as the others who have died there. I haven't been able to do that yet. I was hoping some sort of acknowledgement of the lost divers would be shown at the end of the film.

[@vedantgupta9092]

Interesting to see how far diving equipment has gone from the time you were diving I feel comforting now that i think about it using a ccr and drysuits knowing that people have gone deeper and penetrated further with much less equipment.

[@bryanblack505]

I'm just learning about diving and the more I learn the more I realize how insane those kind of dives were with that level of tech that you guys had back then. Sorry about your buddy and thx for sharing your story.

[@ereynoldful3974]

The chimney entrance at Madison blue ,Martz is named after him !

[@paulderanek7164]

@@ereynoldful3974 Thank you!!

[@technophant]

In loving memory of Brent Potts

[@Ferinm]

Best cave exploration video ever

[@jjbosquez]

Very cool!! Thanks for posting!

[@cavediver2561]

Awesome video Chris !!! I hope all is well with you !!

[@SticksAandstonesBozo]

Haha those old DPV’s were a nightmare.

[@drb0mb]

seriously. there's a line drawn between useful and cumbersome and this was the equivalent of using your hand to wipe your ass instead of not wiping at all.

[@danvitty5442]

Never understood the pressure in caves. There is so much less water in a cave than the ocean, often it is not all directly above, so why is pressure at the same depths the same as the ocean? I’d be curious to know

[@SPRUbique]

Pressure isn’t calculated by way of how much water is above or around you... it’s on how deep you are. Same as when miners reach depth.. although that pressure isnt as much.

[@danvitty5442]

@@SPRUbique huh I didn’t realize miners dealt with pressure like that too. I always thought it had to do with the amount of water around you, but it it’s less so for miners wouldn’t that mean water does at least contribute to that significantly?

[@SPRUbique]

@@danvitty5442 yeah... of course... water is much denser than air. Doesn’t negate the fact that the deeper you go.. the more pressure is created upon you... in water it tenfold as water is denser. But the primary cause... is depth.

[@natdizzle4259]

It doesn't matter if you're in a swimming pool cave or ocean the pressure stays the same only thing that matters is how deep under water you are.. it changes a little bit between fresh and salt water but depth is depth

[@speaklifegardenhomesteadpe8783]

@@SPRUbique thank you for explaining. 💯❣️😁👍

[@youtubeconnollyfamily]

This is awesome

[@mrgrumboldt]

Imagine drowning in a cave with that soundtrack though.

[@jb791505]

Back around 1990, I purchased some beautiful large-format cave map prints. They are signed by some one named "Eric" something, perhaps Hutcheson. I still have those prints. Can you tell me more about them? The one of Eagle's Nest is particularly beautiful. They are "Blue Prints".

[@christopherbrown6476]

Yes, the artist/cartographer who created those maps is the superb cave diver Eric Hutcheson, and he can be found easily on Facebook.

[@Davidpostingshid]

The music in this documentary slaps

[@Mikesworld777]

Are the stage bottles on the bag ABO 200 cubic ft. What does the 1st stage reg look like and how do you adapt to that valve style

[@ANDREWLEONARDSMITH]

Surely the safest way to map & explore underground water caves is to use unmanned underwater drones with CCTV like those used for deep ocean exploration as if they can get to the bottom of the ocean ( which is many times deeper than any cave ) they could be used in caves with no trouble at all as such devices already exist & are used by water companies for sewer mapping & exploration & the use of unmanned remote controlled devices to explore these caves is much safer & eliminates all the dangers & are such devices actually used for cave exploration?

[@revenant777x8]

Narrator sounds suspiciously like instruction video..23 min mark narrator returns, instruction diving confirmed.

[@davidfitzgerald3653]

I wonder if anyone is working on a GPS system for cave diving. Not sure if possible with the your in acave thing

[@ajhatti2011]

Oh hell yeah. Those shorts are bitchin!!

[@blacksheep25251]

4:15 - 4:27 "Simply enough..." Yeah.. uh.. totally simple...

[@Alanthe918mobilemechanic]

Did Brent die?

[@dirtbag3601]

the guy who blacked out.. yes, he did unfortunately

[@LockheedMonster]

Mr. Ballen had a story on Eagles Nest. But this video is way more educating than what i had heard.

[@speaklifegardenhomesteadpe8783]

Yup that's what got me searching also! 💯❣️🕊️😃👍❣️

[@martinbreeze2753]

Yes me too mr.ballen got me hooked had to see it great its on here

[@michellesharp9960]

Mr. Ballen is the reason I also went searching for more info on this! Thank you.

[@donnylion2020]

!!!Zz

[@Bornchiller123]

Yep. Mr. Ballen. LOOOL.

[@nedmodelo1988]

This is youtube gold. And very few have yet to find it!

[@JohnSmith-ez7ip]

I just did. I'm unrelated to diving apart from a few "tourist 15 meter novice dives" at resorts, but this is so much fascinating...

[@speaklifegardenhomesteadpe8783]

Agree!

[@keyboardwarrior204]

just imagine diving on that cave with old school gears

[@ryansmurda1552]

Interesting video. The backround music sounds like bad porn music thou. Lol.

[@speaklifegardenhomesteadpe8783]

🤔 Quite telling fine sir... That which is your expertise in life... 🤔😳🤣😂.... Praying your now perusing a more righteous, honorable future for yourself and heritage. 🦁🦅🤴🤵👩‍👩‍👦‍👦 🤨... For the sake of humanity! 🤣😂 ❣️💪😃👍❣️

[@ryansmurda1552]

@@speaklifegardenhomesteadpe8783 I am. Thanks for your concern.🤣😂

[@cup_and_cone]

You've never heard 90's porn if you think this is a porn soundtrack.

[@ryansmurda1552]

@@cup_and_cone I was a teenager in the 90s so I've heard it.😅 It's really bad. 😂

[@markcrisp07]

Man....i could never do this and enjoy it. I'd have nervous breakdown. Kudos. Not for me

[@SticksAandstonesBozo]

Wow I was there back in those days it’s wild to see it look like that again with no roads or docks.

[@Alanthe918mobilemechanic]

Man the 90s were some golden years imo

[@bryanblack505]

They really were and not just for diving. Music, cars, computers and tech, hell even toys. The 90s was the decade where the old was still around but the new was coming into play and you had the best of both worlds. It was such a great experience to live through those years for so many reasons.

[@Alanthe918mobilemechanic]

@@bryanblack505 Bryan are you a welder or have ever been a welding instructor at tulsa welding school

[@speaklifegardenhomesteadpe8783]

I was thinking the same thing. Missing the seventies, eighties, etc. Technology and globalism gave us much, but at a terrible high cost. I'm personally stepping back in my life as much as possible. I think we were very wrong. 💯🕊️❣️😃✌️🌱🌻

[@bryanblack505]

@@Alanthe918mobilemechanic no, sorry buddy. This is a fake name. My real name has been "canceled" by the commie mob. I have a Miller welder but just got it to teach myself for fun.

[@cup_and_cone]

Everything reached its zenith in the 90's...

[@zakaria600]

DIVE TALK needs to see this 😍

[@bryanblack505]

Yes! Send it to them!

[@zakaria600]

@@bryanblack505 i did

[@scottjohnstone5551]

Thank you guy for a great vid and thanks to Mr Ballen for his well descriptive stories that brought me here.

[@LetsG0Champ]

Think, in a million years someone will probably hike this gave wondering, "I wonder how this was made?"

[@ZetaReticulian]

Uh…. Not likely , as in a million years all of Florida will be deep under water, and humans most likely long dead due to sea level rise and other effects of human caused climate change.

[@dboulgarides1814]

If humanity has found a way to survive lmao

[@floridaaerialmedia]

This deserves much more views!!!!

[@katharinestevenson708]

This is fantastic. Priceless cave footage!

[@Commercialgymlifter]

*you'd think everyone who swam that died, from all the internet videos*

[@Max_Ohm]

Man this soundtrack is lit

[@kaifitz04]

Lots of people died in this cave.

[@lostsoul8476]

That cave is so dark it’s almost pointless to enter

[@pinnacledivingco]

Pffffft!!! 295’ air dives! Guys were nuts back then! But it’s true, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@thecocksaysmoo]

Omg! The sound track to my Jr high life!

[@srmj71]

By today's standards, the equipment in this video is archaic. Having said that, these folks are boldly going...

[@christopherbrown6476]

Yes, their gear, looking back over 30 years, is archaic -- and so was their predecessors’ stuff which looks really primitive today -- but that’s the primary characteristic of the long timeline of technological advancement. And therefore goals, techniques, and strategies evolve too. How cool will it be to see what people are using 30 years from now -- and where they are going.....? Thanks for your comment!

[@srmj71]

@@christopherbrown6476 Oh, in 30 years, it'll still be one of the most dangerous sports a person can undertake.

[@Clairvoyant70]

I like the music they chose 👍🏻 May the #BraveDiver #RIP 😞

[@speaklifegardenhomesteadpe8783]

Perfect documentary! Classic quality that more should see. Bless those who lost their lives to exploring for fun, educational reasons and saving lives! ❣️💯😃👍💯

[@garlandremingtoniii1338]

Lord this is an old film.

[@giovannijasso4664]

Where did y’all go eat at?

[@ProfileP246]

Absolute madness! enjoyed it!

[@cfG21]

Why dont they dent a motorized robit down there?

[@brianpeppers7455]

The track starting at 6:56 goes hard.

[@PrincipledNaturalLaw]

Gotta be clued up on relevant knowledge/skills & on ya game + a little bit nuts(in a good way) or brave or both to be doing deep cave diving.....

[@spaceage-qo8wz]

I'm surprise divers dont swim into a gator den mapping these caves or at least they don't talk about it. I'll like to here what happen when they do

[@glennrhee9363]

Nơi nào bình yên công việc thuận lợi thì ở thôi Lộc huynh ơi. Miễn là không quên cội nguồn gốc rễ là được. Chúc gia đình a gặp nhiều may mắn- bình an và hạnh phúc!!!!

[@robertforster8984]

I’m surprised Sheck Exley wasn’t on this dive.

[@martinbreeze2753]

The guys &girls that do this fairplay massive balls 😀

[@TheNightmareBeforeyouakaDrnigh]

I have been diving there and it’s beautiful down there.

[@alfredoantoniolopez2068]

Di solou wieri in videu santai kimiu usfixiuv, nadadem in the phost rabit he miulle.

[@georgepollastri601]

What about the Sinoya Cave in Zimbabwe????

[@jjdelany8130]

i think im gonna bring my son here one day

[@gregpeterman1102]

Looking for gold nuggets.

[@DeborahHanes]

Great narrative !! E the dives

[@madjack91672]

Dive talk needs this one

[@sunnyscott4876]

No...just no way.

[@honestcommenterseany441]

Rubbish like the elevator music