Hogarthian is like a BMW...

Caves – what they really are… is it a magical place full of secrets and undiscovered corridors, or a deadly trap that does not forgive mistakes? Or maybe just a black hole, where only madmen want to dive? I think that as many divers, as many opinions and as many reasons as to why someone starts diving in caves, or stays away from them. For me, caves are doors, behind which is another world. Unknown, dangerous, restrictive, but at the same time magically beautiful. The road to the other side, however, is by no means easy or pleasant, but if you feel that this is the place for you, it is definitely worth the challenge. I thought about cave diving many times, so I decided to take the first step – the CAVERN Diver course.

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This course is often overlooked by many people as giving little authority and not really allowing full diving in caves or mines. On the other hand, having taken it, I believe that it is worth starting with it, especially if you have not dived in cave techniques before. It is also worth choosing an instructor who is not only a specialist in the field, but also loves this type of diving and has the ability to instill this feeling in the student (I had one).

This training programme aims to familiarise students with the skills and techniques used when moving in confined spaces. It teaches how to communicate in zero visibility, shows how to work with the rope – our ‘way home’. Apart from knowledge and new skills, I was intrigued by something else – history of beginnings of cave diving, i.e. Hogarthian philosophy – as I read, used in later time also by GUE divers.

This style was pioneered by a man called Sheck Exley (I recommend a book about this amazing character – “Autobiography Under Pressure”) and popularised and perfected by his diving partner Bill Hogarth Main.

The Hogarthian philosophy is that accidents and hazards should be prevented rather than preparing for every possible emergency. This is a very logical approach for me, but of course I don’t think you should stop training underwater for emergency situations. The Hogarthian philosophy also says that the main cause of diving accidents is the inadequate preparation of the divers themselves, not equipment failure.

“After all, the most important element a diver takes underwater is his own body, so it must be properly prepared physically, mentally, properly trained for a specific task, it must have efficient and well-maintained equipment and should not be unnecessarily burdened with unnecessary equipment underwater.”

It turns out that in fact our every step, whether on land during the preparation, or underwater during a specific diving task, is extremely important. It must be thought out, trained and there is no right to appear here an element of bravado or routine – only our “head”, our approach to the task can give us a chance that our journey under water – to the caves – will be safe and successful – back on land.

Sheck Exley and Bill Hogarth Main’s philosophy is ‘safer and more efficient’ and translates to every element of equipment configuration and for every type of dive. This system reduces the amount of equipment taken underwater, the number of D-rings, fasteners, but also takes into account different diving conditions. The Hogarthian style always promotes the best configuration, which will be slightly different for shallow reef diving, slightly different for technical wreck diving, and still different for cave exploration.

However, the basic system remains the same, i.e. a long hose hanging around the neck, a spare regulator on a short hose attached to a rubber band around the diver’s neck, two cylinders connected to each other, all hoses of appropriate length, a simple harness made of one piece of tape, all ergonomic without any protruding elements. In addition, a healthy, fit body and mind, the right attitude to diving without overestimating one’s abilities and respect for the element which is water.

While browsing the internet for information on cave diving techniques, I came across a lot of interesting information on the history, configuration and philosophy of the Hogarthian and one of them appealed to me the most because in my opinion it fits perfectly as a summary of what Exley started “If you have an accident on the road, some people prefer to be in a Volvo. It’s tough, it’s safe and there’s a good chance you won’t get hurt. But others prefer to be in a small, capable BMW. Because the best way to survive an accident is to not let it happen. The BMW’s agility and power, big engine and powerful brakes allow you to perform manoeuvres that a heavy armoured Volvo can only dream of.”

Because isn’t prevention better than repair or cure? It’s been said that if I knew I was going to fall, I’d lie down – so maybe it’s better to lie down than to fix the consequences of a fall? Why not think about these principles and incorporate them into your equipment setup and give yourself a chance to avoid ‘falling’?

So after returning from the course I set to work on my configuration. To a large extent it met the Hogarthian assumptions, but required some adjustments such as shortening the hose with a spare automaton, replacing d-rings and removing some unnecessary elements. Of course, everything with caution and a plan of where and how I want to dive, not on blind faith.

I have also taken to training, mastering the skills I learned on the Cavern Diver course. I am preparing for the next stages of cave training, i.e. Intro to Cave and Full Cave Diver/Technical Cave Diver, because I think this could be my way to develop my diving skills, but time and water will verify everything.

Photo: Jacek Majek