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.
Original Video: • Top Of The Mound at Ea...
──────────────────────
BECOME A MEMBER!
Join here and get access to perks:
/ @divetalk
──────────────────────
Join us on Facebook: / divetalk
Follow us on Twitter: / divetalkmedia
Talk with us on discord: discord.link/d...
SWAG: www.shopdiveta...
Our Gear: kit.co/divetal...

[@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.

[@Cavercope]

Thanks for your comment and back story on the video. I am glad all of you have the proper training and knowledge now. Gus and Woody are great and I love the content they put out. They have definitely impacted me and got me back into diving. I have a whole outlook on diving because of them and glad you do too.

[@FoundInTheRiverAndCaves]

@@Cavercope absolutely, the guys are one of the best things to happen to Scuba in a long damn time. My dive buddies and I fell into the "I'll be fine" mindset for a short time. We found Dive Talk and got a serious WAKE UP call. I am not kidding when I tell you that they probably saved at least one of our lives by sharing their knowledge with us, in the way that they do. It got through to us and we quickly realized we are not invincible. To be honest...I was super excited knowing they were dropping a video today. When I saw the title, I actually uttered the words "What F%^kin retards did that?!?!?!". Next thing I know...I hear my own voice on the video. Talk about the "Walk of Shame"!

[@Cavercope]

@@FoundInTheRiverAndCaves I know how you feel. I can’t imagine what you felt hearing your voice and knew what the video was about. I was really dumb at 19 with some diving I did. I had that young mentality that nothing could hurt me and I followed a dive buddy and did a dive several times that I was not properly trained for. Luckily, nothing happened but it could have. I just don’t have video evidence of it. It was 20 years ago. I wish there was Divetalk when I started diving. They have made me want to dive again and even think about starting technical dive training down the road. It’s not cheap though. Lol

[@Yggdrasil42]

Thanks for sharing what you've learned over time. I'm quite sure all divers have done dumb things in their career. I certainly have over my 17 years. Having just finished my Full Cave training I watched this video with horror so I'm glad you all made it out. Yeah, I'd put some serious warnings on the original video.

[@FoundInTheRiverAndCaves]

@@Yggdrasil42 thank you for your thoughts. I did add some warning type verbiage to the description. Hopefully that is enough. If the consensus is to remove it, I don’t mind that either.

[@margotmcmanomanowitz5808]

woody in his blanket cocoon is such a mood

[@lindzriddb]

I can relate. I'm currently wrapped up in a blanket in my cubicle at work too!

[@fishtailfred8686]

I'm not fooled, its a snuggie..

[@bridgetb6582]

4:54 especially lmao

[@lunarballoonistxo]

Why is Woody precious 🤣 I love it

[@jasonepstein8746]

That’s the mood

[@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".

[@briank1263]

Just a matter of time.

[@eriktruchinskas3747]

But where are they riding 160? If they are on a straightaway on a track in leathers than sure its RELATIVELY safe but thats like diving thats relatively safe as long as rules are followed though accidents always happen

[@CraigNiel]

@@eriktruchinskas3747 The implication was obviously (to most anyway) that the 160mph in my analogy was on a public road.

[@emily.g.929]

I absolutely HATE HATE HATE when people say the same sentiment when it comes to texting and driving or drinking and driving!!! I hear SO much rationalization and poor justifications by people who say “well I’ve done that so many times and nothing happened! I’m really good at driving, it’s fine, I know my limits!” But the thing is, I don’t think anyone in their right mind would text and drive or drink and drive KNOWING that they’re going to make a fatal mistake or have something bad happen. It doesn’t matter how safe you THINK you’re being. Shit like this kills people. This mindset kills people. I don’t think my friend in high school knew she would get rear-ended at 25mph by a texting driver, at a railroad crossing, and killed when she was pushed into the side of the moving train.

[@RaZeRbLaDeZ]

It's nobody's job to protect...its called natural selection and quite frankly we need it,

[@ChristelVinot]

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

[@TrappedinSLC]

Plus you put other people at risk if someone tries to do a recovery.

[@lisaperry5999]

He is a straight talker

[@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!

[@jamesc9001]

@raultrevino2404 i think he may have been narc'd

[@joncrow3228]

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!”.

[@Reaperr0724]

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.

[@999a0s]

yeah, honestly, they're doing a public service. people like this guy need a wake-up call and they need it BAD. often, i think people not only lack the proper training but also lack a safety culture in their circle of friends and fellow divers. if someone's unaware of the seriousness of cave diving, it can only take one ego driven diver around them, "it'll be fine bro, i know what i'm doing", and that voice in the back of their mind saying "i don't think i should be doing this..." will be quieted.

[@jonaswhite5842]

Crucial and important exposure for beginners, imo

[@brolohalflemming7042]

@@999a0s The divers involved have responded, but.. The problem is there's sometimes no wake-up from a bad situation in a cave like that. One of the scariest comments in the video was about the cremains, and along the lines of when they come back, they'll take a closer look. Hopefully they'll also take a closer look at the fatalities that have occured at Eagle's Nest, and why those happened. It's why I like these videos, with Gus & Woody hammering home the point that cave diving isn't dangerous.. if you follow the training. Which these divers clearly ignored.

[@FoundInTheRiverAndCaves]

@@999a0s You make an excellent point. This is exactly how we developed the mindset that we had at that time. It could have killed one or all of us. Thank you for your thoughts.

[@FoundInTheRiverAndCaves]

@@brolohalflemming7042 point well taken. The second visit was not into the tube. We had learned a lot in a short time. We did go back to the lake portion to see if we could see any markings on the box to get a full backstory on the individual. I took pictures from many angles to see if we could make out the name. We are still trying to figure out the last name. We dive VERY often at a place in the same conservation area as Eagles Nest but have not been back to "the tube" since. Lucky for us, that was about the time we found DiveTalk and reflected on some of the stupid ideas we had. We are all very lucky and we know it. We will return to Eagles Nest someday, when we have ALL the necessary training and a few hundred successful cave dives under our belt. It's a very enticing place and it's public history makes it a target for adrenaline idiots. I hope no one else does what we did. It was incredibly stupid.

[@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.

[@DIVETALK]

That’s awful to hear

[@Joeldelliott]

@Jane Smith There are good ones and bad ones in Egypt. I went with at least four different guides, and the other three were fine. It was just my bad luck that that particular guide was also my instructor. Since I was so new to diving, I didn't know enough to get rid of him immediately. I was intimidated, and didn't want to get him in trouble.

[@zakaria600]

That's the problem with Egypt. It became so popular and beings money that some people started operating illegal dive charters not even scuba certified. Make sure you book your dive with a PADI or SSI approved authorized dealer.

[@concorde3980]

You could give us the name before he kills someone. Instructors receiving payment and advertising their services are public figures

[@Joeldelliott]

@@concorde3980 Thank you. Here is a blog post I wrote about this. The dive center is Octopus in Dahab, Egypt, and it's still functioning. storiesfromjoel.blogspot.com/2022/04/yesterday-i-met-one-of-my-heroes.html If you have any other questions for finding this guy, please reply here. Thanks!

[@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.

[@MassHysteriaHD]

As a non diver I'm not confused at all. I see exactly why people do it. And now hopefully in a couple years I will be certified, and move on to cave training eventually. This is like seeing things people don't see in person. It's like asking an astronaut why would they go to the moon? Bc its beautiful and eerie and adventurous

[@Disappointed_Philosoraptor]

@@MassHysteriaHD I am aware why people would want to go cave diving, but the bit of common sense I have tells me that an underwater cave is nothing but a beautiful, eerie and adventurous way to drown unless I have the necessary equipment and knowledge. Sure, I'd love to be an astronaut but that doesn't mean I'll sneak inside a rocket to do a leisurely stroll in the vacuum of space in casual clothing. There is nothing enjoyable about doing dangerous activities in an environment hostile to Human life without proper training or gear, that's what bewilders me. With open water gear a cave is not an enjoyable place to dive whatsoever.

[@MassHysteriaHD]

@@Disappointed_Philosoraptor Agreed, right knowledge and equipment. I was just pointing out how people get drawn into it. Have a good one 👌

[@j.griffin]

I really liked that word you used: “dangerious”... even if it was a mistake. As for cave diving, I think that it’s something akin to russian roulette for some people (I don’t do either of those,BTW). However, for others it’s the technical challenge of it all. There are lots of people that can hire a Sherpa, pay more money and then try to climb some mountain... but why? For some it’s ego and for some it’s a spiritual experience. Some respect, some don’t. Some care... others won’t.

[@synyster_vr3950]

as an open water scuba diver and a former commercial diver you couldn't pay me to go into the eagles nest with my current training 😂

[@SchizoaffectedGamer2112]

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

[@WhoCares-mx9dy]

That’s awesome :). Thank you for sharing your story and the motivation you got, it put a smile on my face. You’ll get there 👍🏻.

[@Yggdrasil42]

You can do it! I was also seriously injured in a motorcycle accident and now just finished my Full Cave training. It's awesome to have a goal to work towards.

[@emiliorubio1797]

You can do it let's gooooo

[@suzannechance5876]

Good luck!

[@kmsch986]

Keep pushing, you will get there and amaze yourself

[@hunterowen8479]

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!

[@DIVETALK]

That is awesome!

[@hunterowen8479]

@@DIVETALK don’t worry I’ll be staying far from the likes of Eagles Nest or any cave until/if I one day become cave certified

[@suzannechance5876]

Congrats!

[@charlesg7926]

@@hunterowen8479 If you wanna do some cavern diving in (relative) safety, I recommend diving something like The Pit or Dos Ojos cenotes in Mexico. But first make sure you at the very least are sidemount certified, have sidemount gear, experience, and go with a PRO GUIDE.

[@charlesg7926]

Some other things that often aren’t talked about but are important: 1) The equipment you have matters. Buy good equipment, and learn how to use it. 2) Sleep and physical fitness matter. Get 8-9 hours of sleep the night before Diving. Be well hydrated. Stretch before the dive so you don’t get cramps. All of this will help you with comfort, reaction times, intelligence/decision making in the water, awareness, and naturally reduced stress levels. Wear the right exposure suit (I always use a drysuit in caverns or caves personally). 4) Never do any actual caves, only caverns/cenotes and only do them with a certified guide. If you like the taste of cavern diving and really enjoy it, then you should try the “cavern/intro to cave/full cave” classes and try getting certified. The classes are really useful Some classes are dumb IMO. The DPV class was all common sense and annoying I had to take it. The sidemount class was honestly easily researchable online for 99% of the info. But the 3 cave courses are super necessary trust me

[@richardbuse228]

Those guys were completely beyond their abilities. They were at 100 feet on a single tank and sucking that air down at a pretty good rate, but didn't seem to be paying attention to their air consumption, and got out alive by sheer luck.

[@tomatodamashi]

You can go 30 metres or 100 feet on single tank. I've got my deep diving cert which let's me get to 40 metres or 130 feet even on a single tank. However, I would never go that deep cave diving on a single tank. So I do agree there is some danger here....but... The amount of danger, though, in this video was a LITTLE overblown. They just stuck around the opening. I didn't see them going down any tunnels or anything. Yes, it is POTENTIALLY dangerous. I view this as a slightly more dangerous cavern dive, the exit was fully visible, no one is panicking, no one is getting lost, etc. That being said, if they started going down tunnels that's a different story.

[@seriouscat2231]

@@tomatodamashi, reading a story of a few divers who died there, the exit is visible only if you stand right on top of the mound. If you lost all your light, the search for it would be a quite desperate undertaking. You can see it when you look directly into it, but as far as I know, it really does not "shine" into the cave.

[@apenguingames4305]

@@tomatodamashi Single light single tank complete darkness scattered about kicking salt up everywhere if one thing went wrong they very well could’ve died as if a cave diver was there they would have pack of lights extra tanks possibly better equipment like rebreather‘s etc etc. I think that’s the point not that it was inherently dangerous but if anything went wrong it would be critical instead of just an inconvenience

[@Landgraf43]

@@apenguingames4305 it was inherently dangerous.

[@donniechaffin6897]

@@tomatodamashi Of course you can. When I did my deep dive training, we went to 135 on a single tank. We didn't have a lot of bottom time, but we were able to make conservative decompression stops and exit with plenty of air left.

[@walteryippy3535]

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. 👍🏻

[@montanamike7948]

getting inspiration from a youtube podcast, nice. read a book or something

[@harrileadbeater5120]

⁠@@montanamike7948 he gained a tip from this podcast that could’ve saved his life for all he knows, go read your book nerd 😂

[@simp4hentai166]

The single tanks and no line in a cave makes me shiver man, you hear it all the time, how easy it is to kick up some silt and get disoriented in a cave, and one of them letting themselves get low on o2. Definitely a scary situation, especially in this particular cave.

[@thegracklepeck]

That beeping warning that they were getting low on air had me veeeery uncomfortable.

[@DOHCG]

Not low on O2,gas was air

[@jessiesgolflife2416]

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!

[@alyv3583]

I love woody’s facial reactions when Gus says they went to eagle’s nest😂

[@michellamoureuxm]

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.

[@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. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@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.

[@dawnklug6986]

I'm with you Scuba Bro! Back in the 1970 I was an open water diver in Hawaii with my then husband while we were in the military. He went on to night diving......which was something I never did. He wanted us to learn cave diving and I flat out said no to that also......if I can''t see it, I'm not going into it.

[@chriscoker7794]

@@dawnklug6986 I don't blame you. We have to trust our instincts.

[@KathleenMahaney]

I am with you. I am scared to death of tight spaces like that and the dark

[@LifeCompanionDogs8083]

I think you missed a huge opportunity to be named Scuba Doo

[@chriscoker7794]

@@KathleenMahaney well... most men aren't.😂🛑😂😝😝😜😳🤔

[@kristenhoneywill2130]

I don't understand while people think you guys are being elitist or cocky. You are literally educating people on what NOT to do. I haven't dived in four years due to my health, but I love the awareness you guys are creating! I know you aren't free diver, but there is a documentary on Audrey Meste who died breaking the world record for the deepest dive on a single breath of air. Its very interesting as she wasn't given enough safety divers and her husband did something incredibly stupid when she got in in trouble. It's definitely at least worth a watch! 😊

[@Arcticnick]

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

[@Arcticnick]

(And another reason why I need to send you that text.) -I am interested to hear you discuss people think you are advertising yourselves as s being elitist. I hear you very differently but then I likely have more education, and experience and less ego than they do. You both, clearly!

[@toriless]

SCUBA should be about safety first, safety last and safety berween.

[@mikesbigadventures194]

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.

[@chriscoker7794]

People get to comfortable with with what they do on a regular basis when they are actually in dangerous situations constantly. You can never let your guard down when scuba diving. It only takes a second or one simple mistake.

[@uwgreg]

I would not be surprised that they did just that. They dove Eagle’s Nest before and did not face any issues, so they felt confident to go back and film.

[@Lucas-ys7gl]

BUT BUT BUT, they are NITROX certified! These are clearly well trained and highly experienced divers. I wonder what blend they have as they might have been on the absolute limits of that as well. 36% is 100ft.

[@Yggdrasil42]

@@Lucas-ys7gl "experienced" yes, "highly trained" I doubt it. Any tech instructor would put them in their place. Considering their horrible trim (except the one guy at the end), bad communication and lack of situational awareness they're nowhere near cave ready. I feel they think they're better then they really are, i.e. they're at the first peak in the Dunning-Kruger graph, where confidence is high but knowledge is still low.

[@Lucas-ys7gl]

@@Yggdrasil42 I agree, I figured my comment was dripping with sarcasm.

[@John.Diaper]

The second Woody said "You are kidding me???" at 4:58 I knew i had to save it to watch with my friend Rai and that this was going to be a an episode full of amazing Dive Talk moments such as Gus's aggressive and concise breakdowns of dangerous and or absurd situations juxtaposed to Woody's expressive childlike facial expressions going from happy go lucky and optimistic one moment to incredulous and dumbfounded the next.

[@lscales6131]

Fun fact I just got back from a cruise. I was lucky enough to go scuba diving as an excursion. My guide (a scuba open water trainer) said he’d been to this place. He said “I’ve been there several times. It’s beautiful.” I asked how deep he went. He said too the hole. I was took it as he went into the hole. He said “nope not cave certified. I’m not going down there.” He just liked going there and just scuba diving. He literally said “that’s how people die. For right now I’ll stick to up to 131ft.”

[@Rich-fg9vj]

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.

[@flywhiteguy2327]

I don't think you guys should even have to address people calling you elitists. I've never once thought of you guys as stuckup, and your information has actually stopped me from cave diving without experience once already. I do intend to get my cave diving certification in he future, but for right now I'll stay to open water.

[@schpitz101]

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

[@miv_cleric]

"It was a calculated move for them to place that there to remind people that this is a place where people die." I'm like, bitch, there's a sign down there that you clearly ignored designed exclusively for this purpose.

[@synyster_vr3950]

pretty sure it says stop prevent your own death 😅

[@nutcase1995]

@@synyster_vr3950 it had the Grimm reaper beckoning them in!! doesn't get more obvious than that. these dudes are total morons

[@landonjones7821]

00:04 I’m woody😂

[@ethandoingstuff1433]

The analogy Gus gave for a bank robbing video was too funny. "Okay guys, now it's not cool to steal other people's stuff...." Laughed too hard

[@chloegardner6336]

1month ago I found mr ballen cave dive episodes I have been obsessed ever since I found u guys today and CAN NOT stop watching I don’t think I could ever actually cave dive but to learn is now on my bucket list it’s literally what I think about 80% of my day live u guys

[@gerardomata5042]

Top places you can't go part 3 story#2 panic is one that always stay in my mind

[@rogerheuckeroth7456]

I went to go dive Eagles Nest years ago. I'm a recreational diver with a lot of experience and very confident, but no cave certification. Read the signs and aborted our plan. Done a lot of cavern dives in FL and there are some beautiful ones that are "hidden gems" so to speak. Eagles Nest is no joke. There is a really nice cavern in the same park as Eagles Nest that I would suggest. Its a bit of a hike, but worth it. Great visibility if you don't silt it up. So clear that you can be at 100' and see birds fly above the cavern opening.

[@divingadventures121]

I’m not a cave diver, but do know enough to know these guys were lucky. This video was perfect example of what not to do.

[@Dandeb19]

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.

[@steamedhamlet]

I thought you were gonna talk about the father and son who were open water divers and went there for their first cave dive and both perished. That's actually an incredible story in how negligent of safett the father was...

[@TheBigsteww]

I am in the middle of Colorado, have used a snorkel 3x maybe in my life in a pool, but can NOT GET AWAY from your videos. These are so amazing. Thank you guys!

[@TheIcarusFalls]

Gus and Woody, I would just like to take the time to tell you how much I (and I'm sure countless others) appreciate how you react to these types of videos. When most people do a reaction video, it tends to just be all about drama. But when you guys do it, it's very clear how passionate you both are about cave diving and how much you care for those who also cave dive or are interested in becoming a cave diver. You both are excellent about pointing out errors or mistakes and explain things about diving in such a way that everyone can easily understand, even if they have little or no experience. Every video you guys make helps keep people safe. You guys take hours to make and edit these videos and they save lives, so I just wanted to take one minute out of my day to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Love you guys!

[@DIVETALK]

Thank you so much for such an awesome comment!

[@3113victoria]

LOL I truly love how seriously you guys take all of this, but I just laughed at Gus essentially saying “why die when you can get trained and NOT DIE?”

[@MP-wg8pd]

I found you from your React to a MrBallen story. I'm utterly fascinated. I could never cave, wet or dry, but I can't stop watching your videos.

[@jmhardwick6868]

You guys have nothing for which to apologize! You are performing a public service, and your presentations are neither haughty nor puffed-up. Both of you present as humble people concerned for other people and the dive community. Keep up the great work! 👌😎👌

[@kdeas10]

honestly i discovered this channel just out of pure curiosity wanting to learn some new and interesting things and boy have you guys given me a new found respect and fear "not unreasonable fears just more awareness" for any body of water. Even though i may have no intentions of ever diving ever in my life i can easily apply this level of respect to safety to any sort of dangerous activity because at the end of the day nature will not care who you are or what you have, respect it or become a statistic

[@Avionne_Parris]

Mad respect for doing what you guys do and thanks for continually advocating for proper training and certification as well as diving at your skill level. Humans are the only species that actively seek out death on daily basis, call it natural selection, call it delusions of grandeur, call it ignorance, I'll never understand it. I appreciate what Gus and Woody stand for and will always support such a great channel:-) Cave diving assumptions video please? Such as newbies or even experts suffering from "not me syndrome" as in "some divers have died at Eagle's Nest, not me though." Love you guys!

[@aedramelek4724]

I’d love to see a tier list of your most difficult cave dives, just to put in perspective how incredibly hard is to dive into Eagles Nest

[@jenk8385]

I have learned throughout my life, if you are on a ride, dive, anything, and you don't feel completely safe with the person in control, you speak up. This is why I love your channel and how you critique others. We need to be okay with getting advice and observational critiques to get better at what we do. Thank you for being the ones who say something, even when it's not fun to say it.

[@lukycharms9970]

It’s crazy how easily you can lose the direction you’re moving in. I’ve never been cave diving or diving in general but I’ve worked as an archeologist in California in the woods and you can think you’re walking in a straight line and then take out your compass and realize you’ve turned almost 90 degrees in less than 1 minute of walking, and that’s on dry land with zero stress haha. It’s incredibly easy to lose your direction without a fixed frame reference and I feel like most people don’t realize just how fast that can happen until you experience it cause, to be honest, I felt the same way haha. I feel like these guys move away from the line thinking it’s gonna be easy to find when sometimes it’s just not cause you’re not moving in a consistent direction like you think you are

[@ratflail215]

The forest next to me is not that large and surrounded by fields but still it's really easy to lose your direction. Now Imagine the forest being pitch black, filled with silt and you being narced/drunk. It is a very bad scenario and any of those guys could have died there.

[@petergianakopoulos4926]

I've never lost direction

[@mstevens113]

@@petergianakopoulos4926 wow good for you superman

[@petergianakopoulos4926]

@@mstevens113 😊

[@aaykay4060]

@@lukycharms9970 I’m just an advanced open water Nitrox certified diver, nothing fancy. I sometimes have issues equalizing. This one time I was diving and had trouble and finally when I was able to equalize I felt a pooping in my ear and was instantly disoriented and couldn’t tell up from down. I stayed where I was for a moment until I remembered to see which way my bubbles were going. I knew I’d perforated my eardrum so I aborted my dive and surfaced. An hour later I was throwing up and the next day I had an ear infection. Anyway, my point being it’s super easy to get disoriented and without training people can panic and make it even worse.

[@graycrayon1866]

Woody always being chilly cracks me up

[@gordonnewsham7848]

One more thing. I genuinely think your both really good people for spreading awareness around the dangers of different types of diving your doing a fantastic job

[@SebastianSkadisson]

The luck required to have the sign not be obscured by silt the way they bumped into the floor there and sent jets down at the floor by swimming vertical is truly miraculous.

[@mrslisahunt91]

I'm not a diver or swimmer at all I'm very scared of deep water because my brother would try to drown me every time we entered a pool. Which is unfortunate but I must say I'm new subscriber to your guys channel and I never knew how exciting and beautiful diving was. Tysm for your channel bringing light to diving. 🥰👍 Keep it up.

[@StrongUser]

Some brother

[@Qrtuop]

Sibling abuse is a thing and it's often brothers doing it to their sisters.

[@dr4d1s]

I just subbed the other day, binged a bunch of your reaction videos over a couple days. Yesterday, after hearing you mention Eagles Nest a quite few times, I was wondering if you had one so I searched for it and didn't find one. I wake up today and here it is.... How did you two know? I don't think I will ever do any scuba diving or cave diving but I find it super interesting. You two do a great job of explaining and breaking things down. Awesome content guys, thank you so much.

[@DIVETALK]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@adalwolfweiss7557]

I decided to change my comment because apparently I can’t read, and I’ve had too much coffee. This is definitely a scary situation. But as I was thinking about being critical I realized that there are probably many times that I myself could’ve ended up on dive talk’s naughty list…. it’s important to remember that nobody is above making mistakes, but that it’s important we take steps necessary to avoid them. Life is precious and nothing in any cave is worth loss of life. Sending blessings and love to everyone, and many thanks to Gus and woody!

[@Darkshadow7827]

Awesome vid as always. I've always wondered how people found these caves. I would look at that body of water and think it's just a little pond. I guess human nature and exploration led someone to dive to the bottom, only to find a massive network of caves and caverns. I would love to hear your guy's tier list of caves - what you think are good beginner caves, intermediate caves, and caves only for advanced divers. Those 2D maps are interesting too. It's crazy to see how tortuous those caves are.

[@dillonleverette307]

I’d be interested in that too!

[@Yggdrasil42]

Once you're a cave diver you start looking into every crack and fissure.niys human nature indeed. In general navigational maps of cave aren't shared outside the community, to prevent non-trained divers from going gung-ho into a cave. Knowing the way in is not enough to find the way out after all. You can get maps of the shape of caves but those don't show you were lines are laid. Once you're trained, your instructor, local guides or community members can get you the maps you need.

[@Darkshadow7827]

@@Yggdrasil42 OOoo, thanks for sharing that info! That actually makes a lot of sense to keep the maps strictly within the cave diving community. That probably already save a lot of lives from the inexperienced or over-confident non-cave divers. Also didn't know maps show where the lines are laid. I just thought from the brief glimpses of maps on previous videos, it's cool how much they branch, similar to an ant nest or something. As a non-diver but now interested in eventually learning, thanks for sharing that piece of knowledge. I have to move out my current basement apartment first before I start looking at lessons and excursions.

[@Apistevist]

That might be a bad idea because it might lure people who overestimate themselves into the caves listed as beginner without training.

[@Darkshadow7827]

@@Apistevist That is also true. My thoughts were about newly licensed cave divers looking for beginner caves, but non-trained cave divers could indeed overestimate their abilities and try it. Perhaps if they made any list, it should be restricted offline to the cave diver community? You do bring up a valid point and perhaps nothing should be made public about it on YT for the sake of safety. Great input!

[@jadlad9666]

I had an advisor in college who had a PhD, was widely published, director of a museum, known in her field. She told me once "The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know anything." That has really stuck with me. The key to being an "expert" is knowing when to admit you don't know how to do something, or be able to ask for help.

[@Rocco1332]

Gus, I can sympathize with you about people ruining places to explore. I take photos in abandoned buildings and mines, always careful, not pressing if things are sketchy. Every year it seems another place gets locked down because someone was doing something dumb there. Just recently a mine that I've been into many many times was locked down because someone went hiking with their dogs and the dogs fell down a shaft. It boggles my mind that a place like Everest, where they use bodies as trail markers, stays open and some caves where maybe 1 person has died gets closed down.

[@WhoCares-mx9dy]

I feel bad for that dog. It’s owner was a jerk.

[@matteightytwo]

Ill be honest. Im not a diver, I know very little but Id like to try. If I watched the other guys video being reacted to it would give ME that impression that a dive like that is ok, it looked easy, they all survived... so thank you for putting together an amazing critique

[@alexandrahuff2303]

I have never actually joined a channel before but I love what you guys do. I want to support your mission of sharing the diving world and driving home the seriousness of safety during dives. Thank you and I can't wait to see the new content!

[@DIVETALK]

We appreciate your support!

[@sandygrogg1203]

Hi Gus and Woody, watching this for the second time in April 2024. I will be 81 in September, and I am most besides not a diver of any sort. However, I love.Dive Talk, and have probably watched all of your videos. I was appalled by what this man said, after watching, what he did. Even though I am not a diver, I know all the rules of cave diving, and if I were a cave diver, I would never violate any of them. And, I would never die alone. You guys have taught me a lot. I hope this man has seen your video, and take your advice to heart. I have never thought you were pointing at yourselves as being the best divers in the world, I think you are both skilled, and very good at what you do. But you are not confident, and you preach the gospel of fall. The rules for safeties sake. Thanks for making things simple for those of us who are not divers, but enjoy watching your videos anyway.❤❤

[@sabnisga]

I'm not connected to diving in any way but still love your talks and the most easy way in which you narrate such a complex sport that even non divers can understand !! Great work 👍👍

[@cccc7534]

It was hilarious when he was talking about how important dive safety was, when he violated every safety violation🤣

[@TheprogresBMX]

Such a killer duo! The dynamic between Gus and Woody is always great to watch!

[@kimikae4170]

Absolutely love Gus an Woody! They are both awesome! And I always seem to learn a little something that I'm 100% clueless about, and don't see myself EVER diving ANYWHERE due to a life long fear of water. Cheers!

[@TheprogresBMX]

@@kimikae4170 a controlled environment should do you just fine👌 eagles nest is intimidating but baby steps will give you the courage you need to push it a little farther every time!

[@strangefruit8776]

I’m not a diver but just the basics I’ve learned from watching your channel makes it obvious that there is no pretentiousness in warning people of the dangers of cave diving. If you think that, you’re one of the people that needs to hear it.

[@djordjegranolic3588]

Non-swimers can have fun in 4,5 feet of water but more than that they must know how to swim or they will die, same case with regular divers and cave divers, its all water but its HUGE difference. Great react video 💪👌

[@TrappedinSLC]

If it’s a body of water with waves like a lake, even 4-5 feet can get you into a lot of trouble if a wave comes up on you unexpectedly.

[@mr337kj]

I just finished cavern and intro to cave in Playa Del Carmen. After finishing the lost line drill I cringed HARD when that guy was on his knees. I look forward to getting full cave but I am waiting another 30-50 intro cave dives to go forward. I'm not deco trained yet so I'm doing all of my cave dives in Mexico.

[@MiguelIglesiasART]

Again fantastic content and message guys. Kind of funny the person that shot the video talks about being careful and respect the training etc etc after him and his buddies were sooo wreck-less and were doing totally the opposite he is talking about! Mind blowing!

[@Mars-1995]

It´s so impressive to me to hear you guys talk about cave diving and diving in general. You specialised in such an interesting skill and aquired so much knowledge. So far your channel never disappointed and always has been a great pleasure. You guys are legends

[@anjaneen]

Thank you for reacting to this video. As a recreational diver, I wonder what is the problem with going to check out the entrance. I had no idea the little tube you swim through. That would be enough of a deterrent for me! Excellent video! One of my favorites!

[@liquidsofa]

I'm glad I took the time to watch this video. Not all dangers are easily perceivable. If I said "Let's go sleep on train tracks" you'd call me insane, yet the danger presented here is the same. Some of the most dangerous places/situations take training and experience to recognise. Thanks for taking the time to make this video.

[@SUNSHINE-fd4vb]

I’m not even a cave diver and even I can watch this and say “DUDE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!”

[@mikawindrath6085]

Even this video makes me, an open water diver, soooo anxious. I could never enjoy a dive that I know is so risky, I know I'm not trained and certified to do, especially because with all those signs you are definitely constantly reminded that it's incredibly foolish to dive there as an OWD. I'm so glad for the pinned comment, and as always, thanks for your reaction and you bringing awareness and information!

[@MK-xg4qg]

This is the answer from the uploader after your viewer called him out:- "You are absolutely correct. We had NO BUSINESS doing that at the time. I posted the video and commentary well after the actual dive. We have all moved on to cave training since this video and to be honest, it is in part due to watching the same guys who just gave us a spanking. (Well deserved, btw) I added the commentary after we thought about the entire event and all that "we didnt know what we didnt know". This is NEVER OK. Although I do have to say that because it was clear that day we could always see the entrance and the sunlight coming through it. We didn't really "pass" the sign, we remained lateral to it but that does not translate and probably made people think we went to the caves at 240 feet. We never descended past the sign at 125 feet. Nonetheless...Gus and Woody are spot on. This was a foolish thing to do and that's why I added the little speech later. I NEVER thought anyone outside our friends group would ever see it. I am puzzled that such a small channel would end up in the algorithm and show up for Gus. As for the pounding I am taking on this...I would be saying the same things to people now that we all have the additional training and see how easy people fall into that false sense of "I'll be fine". The video was not intended to be seen by so many, so I never considered it was sending the wrong message to the masses. I do need to either remove it or add a disclaimer. Thank you for your comment."

[@dramalamadolls3375]

Glad your ok and learned from it.some are braver than others.

[@Michellee970]

Thanks for sharing their original comment. I laughed when I saw this in the comments.

[@darkcolouredglasses]

This guy's all BS. "I didn't think it'd be seen by large audience"??? Post it on FB then, not KZbin. Geez! It's clear their reasoning skills are as bad as their diving ones but this "post-discaimer/half-ass apology" is so insulting and narcissistic on so many levels! These folks should be fined for endangering stupidity at the very least or be held accountable somehow! Same as driving without a driver's licence! 🤢

[@slavvings]

Always been terrified of diving. Glad you guys point out the safety and correct ways of doing it instead of just scaring people.

[@remcovanhal6336]

Been binging Dive Talk these past 2 days! Love you guys so much!

[@DIVETALK]

Thank you!

[@micheleiuliano6986]

Everything said in the video is totally reasonable and we should be grateful that such divulgative videos are circulating. As usual guys well done. Another thing to be mentioned is: chapeau to the guy who recorded the video and comment here below admitting the huge risk and mistake they have made. Great and safe diving to everyone!! 🤙🏽🤙🏽

[@amena8899]

We need a section on instagram documenting Woody's freezing fashion statements for DT.

[@brianleben4893]

I’ve been a commercial diver for 14 years now. Never done cave diving (though I really would like to get into it) and even I can see so many issues here. I’m glad all these guys made it back safe, but wow.

[@ittybittyyadira]

I really enjoy this duo, I always look forward to watching you guys react,i get down to earth vibes when I watch ya, which nowadays is hard to find a channel with genuine people.

[@brandonsdi]

Without trying to judge anyone, I would suggest to revisit the placement of the grim reaper sign just to avoid such misunderstanding. I got the impression from the narrator that they actually aware of the danger (at least a degree of it) and didn't actually try to pass the no go zone. I fully agree with both of your reaction, however let's try to look at things from all perspectives.

[@DiveIntoFloridaHomes]

The reaper sign is in the location it currently is because that is technically the end of the cavern zone (which is where they are placed). Anything off to the sides of the line at the Nest quickly becomes an actual cave dive, and even directly on the line looking up at the solution tube can be a cave dive in the right weather conditions (cloudy water, clouds in the sky blocking the sunlight, night time, etc). IMO putting it in open water near the log would do more bad than good, enticing people into the hole "just to see if it's really that big/bad/dark" and then finding themselves lost

[@notadream-tt3cn]

If you guys ever do a let's play series I recommend Subnautica! I know woody will like the underwater aliens in that game 👽

[@dg8062]

You heard them say "they'll take a closer look at the box with the remains in it when we go back". Scary because obviously they do this kind of silly thing on a regular basis. I'm not a diver but find your Channel fascinating!

[@Blaine10024]

I think your videos really capture the actual danger of diving and cave diving. Similarly to how you can drown in your own vomit laying down, you can drown in 10 feet of water, and what adds security to your safety is knowing what to do when something goes wrong but most importantly, having a respect for water. People often see water as benign, but it doesn't discriminate on who it kills. Furthermore, just like how you wouldn't skydive with training, fire a gun without training, etc etc, why would diving be any different? Drowning in a cave isn't cool, it's really a shit way to go out. I hope to dive someday somewhere, and you know what? I am going to do exactly what my instructor tells me to do, because I like living.

[@Dexi2006]

I got my open water a couple of years ago and my take away from that course was to stay the f away from shipwrecks, stay the f away from caves and stay the f away from fresh water. The entire course focused on how I need to identify what I’m ignorant about and stay the hell away from those areas. Every dive is an adventure on borrowed time and even a successful dive is probably the closest you can come to death in every day life because if something does go wrong your survival is measured in seconds, not minutes. It’s the same when I ride my motorbike, my second priority is to have fun but my first priority is to not die and I can’t do the second unless I’ve done everything in my power with gear and training to feel comfortable with the first

[@kasimirhauptman2717]

I was having the exact same expressions on my face as Gus while listening to this awkward monolog starting @ 18:20 :D - Keep up this great content - love it!

[@wakingtheworld]

19:30 "Next time we go back..." OMG.... From what I've learned watching your vids, this is another case of 'what could possibly go wrong?' They were extremely lucky to have dived without incident on this occasion.... The diver's summing up blew my mind.... clearly blissfully unaware of how 'unsafe' they were on this dive. Thanks for keeping it real, guys

[@schubert3315]

Perfect timing for this video got my Latte and it’s 9am here. ☕️ Is Woody wearing a Dive Talk blanket?

[@DIVETALK]

Yes and yes

[@kimikae4170]

;)

[@druide2276]

I don't get who could misuse the dislike button in this particular gem of a reaction video.

[@druide2276]

@Mihai Bunga then this guy obviously didn't get Gus' point.

[@amyhatfield7181]

What makes people want to cave dive ? The beauty or the unknown ? Thanks for explaining I’m not a cave diver blessings for Gus &Woody never a dull moment on this channel you guys are inspiring 🤍🙏

[@DIVETALK]

It's different from person to person

[@korttneeheidz]

ive been so obsessed with your videos lately, i always have them on in the background and ive made a habit of fslling asleep with them on🤣 its so nice to listen to. we appreciate you guys:) its so awesome to see you educating people. ive learned so much about diving and even though i have severe fear of open water i love learning about the specifics of diving

[@richpitty]

My man woody is wrapped up again 😂. The difference in what your saying is that you have the training to go into those places fairly safely and these ppl don’t you can tell by trim, standing and kneeling on the bottom you guys just convey great knowledge and your perspective as certified cave divers not rec divers flirting with a potentially deadly problem

[@littlepinkniki]

I’m so glad nobody got hurt. I’m not even a driver but I’m loving your videos.

[@jamesbell5226]

I've only Dove once but even though I basically have no diving skills I still take your videos as advice and not you guys as flaunting or being conceited you guys are legitimate trained cave divers. I don't read the comments very much but apparently I guess people think you guys act more than what you are but that's really not the case you guys are trained certified cave divers therefore you can State what is and what isn't the right way to do things.

[@ItsEndito]

Im a non-diver and terrified of open water but I love watching you guys’ videos! I love your reactions and your well-informed commentary. Thanks for the amazing content!

[@xixXxxXxix]

The robbing a bank analogy was great

[@Aliens_Gonna_Get_Ya]

So glad this didn’t end up being a Cave Diving Tragedy vid… 👍👍👍

[@DreW.L_]

I just joined the membership and y'all deserve so much more for the things y'all are doing for the dive community. I'm not a part of it yet but one day I hope I get the privilege to try.......A+++ fellas

[@DIVETALK]

Welcome aboard!

[@Seikefy]

Ever since i started to watch your videos something i'm sure of: i will cave dive and dive under ice someday, probably in a few years, but you guys inspired it.

[@Phoenixhunter157]

And yes, that guy violated everything he was telling other people to not do.

[@tmtz383]

On his defense, it seems like his comment was added way after getting more training and realizing just how stupid was what they did.

[@paulzuel3417]

You guys run a pretty wholesome channel here dont worry about people thinking you think you’re better then anyone else you are simply educated and providing knowledge and entertainment to those who choose to view it and if people dont see that yall are genuinely reacting to the video and informing the audience theyre trippin.

[@Ranger_k16]

At 10:00, what you are referring to as known as survivor bias. People make it out of dangerous situations and live to talk about it think it's not a huge deal. That's because the others are dead.

[@Ducky27645]

This is a wonderful video. I’m basic open water certified and going into this video, I saw nothing wrong with what these guys were doing. I’m simply not trained in cave diving and these guys (with one tank) are treating this dive as a basic dive. Thanks for pointing out the mistakes so we can all learn from them. I can’t wait to start cave diving but I am a long way away from that unfortunately.

[@YeetYeet-zv4nu]

The fact that woody didn’t stop the video speaks volumes