The Intersection between Neurodivergence and Cave Diving

As I mount my stationary bike, preferring the comfort of home over a trip to the gym, I look for something on YouTube that doesn't demand too much mental energy—something to make my workout fly by. That's when I put on "Dive Talk," a channel featuring a dynamic duo of scuba and cave diving enthusiasts, Woody and Gus, who delve into the fascinating world of underwater exploration. One of my favorite types of videos is “Cave Divers React”.

Woody, the more seasoned of the pair, has been diving since the '70s. His bubbly, sometimes silly demeanor is complemented by insightful commentary drawn from years of professional diving. Gus, the younger and more sarcastic of the two, brings a pensive and critical edge to the mix. Their contrasting styles not only entertain but also provide a window into the psyche of divers navigating treacherous underwater realms.

Their discussions on the importance of staying calm and safe under the waters have captivated me, despite my own reservations about scuba diving, which to me, feels claustrophobically daunting with all the gear and the thought of being deep underwater. I had a curiosity as to the kind of person this sport attracts.

Dive Talk Podcast on Youtube.com April 12, 2021

According to Underwater Kinetics Magazeine, there are about 75 professional cave divers out there. There are more who do practice the hobby but it is a very rare sport. Cave divers can go miles into a cave and often without natural light. It is important that the divers do not get lost as it can be dark and silted out. Caves can go on for miles and miles on end. Divers usually rely on proper equipment, specialized training, a rope system, as well as a calm state of mind.

The 2021 documentary on the Thai Cave Rescue of 2018, where a soccer team of children and their coach were trapped in Tham Luang Cave, was a testament to the incredible feats these divers can accomplish. These average Joes, not military or professional rescuers, were IT specialists, blue-collar workers, and an anesthesiologist, who managed to safely extract the youths without a single casualty, all while battling the pitch-black, muddy waters of the cave.

The divers often described themselves as social outliers, finding solace in the serenity of a cave. I cannot give any these divers a diagnosis of course, but It's touched upon in the end of the documentry that some of the divers express neruodivergent traits (leaning towards autism traits in particular) that were benfical to their cave diving expertise. “They feel most comfortable in a muddy hole but ended up being the most unlikely heroes” stated the documentary’s interviewer E. Chai Vasarhelyi . Volanthen, one of the divers who works in IT, stated you have to make “unemotional and hopefully correct decisions without panicking in a sort of linear, sensible manner.” (LA times).  This quote from one of the divers reminded me of a part in the best selling book about autism called “Unmasking Autism” by Devon Price Phd. In the first chapter defining autism that people on the spectrum takes more time to process than a neurotypical person would. A neurotypical person is more likely to make rash and impulsive decisions as stated by the author. Taking the extra time to process has a strength in that it allows the person to think through decisions without strong emotions and in the end, can create better outcomes compared to neruotypical folks.

In cave diving, one has to have some level of comfort being in small spaces. I've heard of the term "anti-claustrophobia" on autism Reddit forums to describe the comfort some with autism find in enclosed spaces. One of the members of the forum mention cave diving as an activity that fulfills that comfort. This preference for pressure and the enveloping calmness of the deep is intriguing (this goes for scuba in general). In The Rescue documentary, one of the divers did have a similar explanation about pressure and quietness on why he enjoys this sport. There’s also the thrill of being in places hardly any other human has gone before.

The first time I heard about pressure being a comfort for some people with autism was actually something my mother told me about when I was young. I have a sibling with autism and my mother has always been interested in learning more about it since my sibling was diagnosed at 2 years old. She told me about Temple Grandin and how her comfort of pressure and small spaces helped the humane treatment of cattle in the beef industry.  It wasn’t just the beef industry that she changed but normalizing sensory needs for some neurodivergent folks. Grandin states that the pressure of dark small places can come with sensory overload- which is a common experience with autism.

Shuttershock: divers underwater caves diving Ginnie Springs Florida USA

When you scuba dive, there is pressure from the water the deeper you go. This can be calming for sensory overload. It is important to note that one has to be aware of the pressure in the water for their own saftey. As a diver descends, the water pressure increase, and the volume of air in the lungs decreases. This can cause problems such as sinus or ruptured eardrum. As you ascend, water pressure decreases, and the air in your lung expands. This can rupture the air sacs in the lungs if the diver isn’t careful of the timing in coming back up (Myhealth Alberta).

Cave diving can address these sensory issues, offering a reprieve from overstimulation and providing a rich, multisensory experience that can improve sensory processing abilities. It's a delicate balance, of course, as divers must be vigilant of the changing pressures and potential hazards.

This article doesn't suggest that all individuals with autism or other neurodivergent conditions should pursue cave diving or that all cave divers are neurodivergent. It's an observation of how certain traits can align with the demands of this extreme sport and, in some cases, lead to heroic outcomes, as demonstrated by the Thai cave rescue.

In our society, those deemed introverted misfits can sometimes emerge as unexpected heroes, underscoring the importance of embracing neurodiversity. It’s crucial to listen to sensory needs and find activities that fulfill them, as cave diving has done for some.

For anyone considering scuba or cave diving, remember that proper training is essential. Organizations such as the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, the International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers, and the National Association for Cave Diving offer guidance. Ed Sorenson, a world renowned technical cave diver, provides specialized trainings in Florida through his program, "Cave Adventurers."

Sources:

“Dive Talk” podcast, https://www.divetalkmedia.com/.

“How a group of “ornery’, "‘nerdy’ divers pulled off the miraculous Thai cave rescue” LA Times, Oct 16, 2021, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-10-16/thailand-cave-rescue-divers-documentary.

“The Complete Guide to Cave Diving, Underwater Kinetics, June 19 2019. https://uwk.com/blogs/scuba-guide/the-complete-guide-to-cave-diving#:~:text=Some%20experts%20estimate%20that%20as,call%20themselves%20professional%20cave%20divers.

“Unmasking Autism”, Devon Price Phd, 2022, Penguin Random House.

Temple Grandin, https://www.templegrandin.com/.

“Pressure Injuries from Scuba Diving'“ https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/Pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=abo0894.