On the 8th of January 2005, two deep technical cave divers entered Bushman’s Hole, a water filled cave system in the Northern Cape in South Africa. One did not return, the other, fighting the elements for over 12 hours, narrated the event the very next day. This exploration into the narratives of a technical cave diver, is an interpretive journey into the various constructions informing the process of making sense of the death of a fellow dive partner. Exploration of the unknown within the wombs of the earth uncompromisingly challenges society’s dominant views on death and the safekeeping imperative. This exploration of the culture within death and survival in water filled cave systems is situated within the narrative ontology. Subsequently this exploration is aimed at continuously integrating the historical and cultural messages within this dangerous pastime in attempt to find meaning within the narratives of one such individual who ventured into this darkness. Ultimately this exploration is aimed at understanding narratives of sense making employed by a technical cave diver after the loss of a fellow diver amidst the passion that summoned them to explore the darkness within water filled cave systems; a pastime that has been labelled by some as the most dangerous sporting pursuit available to humankind. The journey starts with a literature exploration on death, moving through various researched understandings of the bereavement experience. From there it continues into the nature of interpretive methodology, with an in-depth focus on the historical and cultural situated nature of the narratives we employ in making sense of our world. This qualitative approach is based on the subjective experienced and interpreted meaning that I discovered while moving through the narrated text, hence this journey is also reflective of the co-construction of meaning that implicitly takes place between individuals when making sense of their own experiences. As the receiver of this narrative exploration, you too will find meaning within this journey, meaning co-constructed with the multitude of narratives and experiences that have historically and culturally entered your interpretive process. Implicit within this exploration is the unique nature of the death and bereavement experience within the specific context of deep technical cave diving. This journey places the emphasis on the uniqueness of the bereavement experience, and ultimately challenges the objective approach to dealing with bereavement as a psychologist. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / Unrestricted

The current environmental status of the majority of Bermuda’s one hundred sixty-six known caves was investigated. This survey replicated a historical cave study performed in 1983, wherein each was analyzed for positive and negative features. Statistical analysis of the data showed a significant difference between the historical and current survey ratings, with an overall decrease in environmental status. A water quality study was performed on twenty different caves with sea level pools in various locations around the island. Nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and phosphate levels were measured from varying depths in these caves. Fifteen of these caves were also tested for the presence of fecal bacterial contamination. High nitrate levels were discovered in some of the caves, particularly in surface samples. Additionally, bacterial contamination was detected in some caves. No obvious relationship between cave size or location and contamination existed for any of the pollutants sampled. Three separate caves from this group were dived and analyzed using a Hydrolab Sonde 3 Multiprobe Logger to acquire in situ water column data including depth, temperature, pH, salinity, and dissolved oxygen. Each cave studied had its own unique trends in hydrology at varying depths in the water column. A later water sampling study with a randomized experimental design was created and caves were divided into four classes based on size and location. Surface and subsurface samples were gathered from twelve randomly selected caves, three from each class. Each sample was analyzed for nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia concentrations. The results were analyzed using multiple analysis of variance statistics. A significant difference between the nitrate concentrations in the surface and subsurface water samples was discovered. None of the other comparisons were statistically significant. To represent the data visually, a Bermuda Cave and Karst Information System (BeCKIS) was created using the environmental survey data and water quality information. Some of the maps generated highlighted regions where negative environmental impacts on caves were concentrated geographically, thus demonstrating how this geographic information system could be used as a conservation tool.

The current environmental status of the majority of Bermuda’s one hundred sixty-six known caves was investigated. This survey replicated a historical cave study performed in 1983, wherein each was analyzed for positive and negative features. Statistical analysis of the data showed a significant difference between the historical and current survey ratings, with an overall decrease in environmental status. A water quality study was performed on twenty different caves with sea level pools in various locations around the island. Nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and phosphate levels were measured from varying depths in these caves. Fifteen of these caves were also tested for the presence of fecal bacterial contamination. High nitrate levels were discovered in some of the caves, particularly in surface samples. Additionally, bacterial contamination was detected in some caves. No obvious relationship between cave size or location and contamination existed for any of the pollutants sampled. Three separate caves from this group were dived and analyzed using a Hydrolab Sonde 3 Multiprobe Logger to acquire in situ water column data including depth, temperature, pH, salinity, and dissolved oxygen. Each cave studied had its own unique trends in hydrology at varying depths in the water column. A later water sampling study with a randomized experimental design was created and caves were divided into four classes based on size and location. Surface and subsurface samples were gathered from twelve randomly selected caves, three from each class. Each sample was analyzed for nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia concentrations. The results were analyzed using multiple analysis of variance statistics. A significant difference between the nitrate concentrations in the surface and subsurface water samples was discovered. None of the other comparisons were statistically significant. To represent the data visually, a Bermuda Cave and Karst Information System (BeCKIS) was created using the environmental survey data and water quality information. Some of the maps generated highlighted regions where negative environmental impacts on caves were concentrated geographically, thus demonstrating how this geographic information system could be used as a conservation tool.