Cave diving is a technical activity for technical people. The articles herein reflect FCD’s sincere attempt at respecting what the unique underwater cave environment does offer to Science. FCD’s discoveries are repositories of scientific changes accumulated over thousands and millions of years. Much of the Skills we hone aims to preserve the nature of these underwater treasures.
August 11, 2013 was a red-letter day for FCD. The pioneer cave class did their first cave dives at Pawod, Mactan Island. This was a familiarization dive for both since they have never been in a true overhead environment…Read more…
Rocks and water samples were collected from Pawod Cave on 30 May 2013 at a depth of 15 feet and 40 feet from the cave entrance. Water collected along with the rock samples had an average salinity of 5 parts per thousand and a pH of 6.0, consistent with brackish water…Read more…
The two underwater propulsion techniques used in cave diving are the modified frog kick and the modified flutter kick. Technically, these are achieved by bending the knees at 90 degrees with the body in horizontal trim…Watch video..
Owing to certain characteristics of underwater caves, proficiency in sidemount diving is emerging as a necessary skill. Of particular importance is multi-tank carrying especially in long complicated dives…Watch video…
“I read your blog regarding the limestone sample from Pawod Cave. My initial guess is that the limestone belongs to Carcar Formation. This limestone formation fringes most of the coastal areas of Cebu. If my guess is right, it’s age would range from Late Pliocene to Pleistocene, about 1.8 – 3 million years ago“…Read more…
Mactan remains a popular dive destination despite massive coral reef destruction. Human activities impact, i.e. dynamite and cyanide fishing, coral harvesting, gleaning, boat hull and push stick (tukon), pollution from Mactan Channel, scuba and hookah spearfishing, and Koreans…Read more…
Pawod, by the fact that it was left undisturbed until its discovery by Doc Amores in 2002, is a repository of timeline changes in the history of Mactan Island..changes accumulated over thousands and maybe millions of years. There are many observations that need scientific cataloguing…Read more…
Most caves are formed in limestone rock. Calcite (calcium carbonate) is the main mineral of limestone. Throughout time, rainwater seeps into the cracks and pores of the ground…Read more…
This identification and documentation work was conceptualized to raise the awareness of the locals and government officials of Barangay Arpili, Balamban for the preservation of Casili Spring’s aquatic fauna…View photos…
What is cave diving? It is scuba diving inside a cave. Simple isn’t it? Not quite…Read more…
Filipino Cave Divers 