I’m starting a deep #dive (I guess the pun is sort of intended) into #scuba diving—specifically cave diving. Seems like fertile ground for short #horror#fiction. Part of it is personal, I think. I’ve gone snorkeling and got a little panicky about the breathing rhythm. But this may be something that many people have trouble with, I’m guessing #WritingCommunity
@TimHoelscherX
I think it's inherently challenging to be aware of and controlling your own breathing. Cave and wreck diving also have the characteristic that if one thing goes wrong and you're not prepared for it, there's no escape hatch.
FWIW, there's a bunch of horror-adjacent games around diving. Subnautica explores cave-diving, wreck diving and monsters. Then Iron Lung came out - diving into an ocean of blood in a submarine with minimal visibility. Now there are various 'iron-lung-likes'.
@emmatonkin yes, I think you’re totally right about the breath control. That’s part of my problem anyway. And yes, the layers of risk and potential for missteps is chilling to me.
I had never heard of Subnautica or Iron Lung! I’ll check them out! Thanks - very cool!
I would consider wreck diving, but only around a wreck, not into enclosed environments. I'd consider cavern diving (https://www.mexicobluedream.com/how-do-cavern-and-cave-diving-differ-from-one-another/) but not serious caves, because technical diving can be remarkably dangerous and you really need to be super knowledgable (I'm not), methodical (haha) and calm (lol).
Limited visibility is a source of horror Subnautica uses too (dirty water -> here be monsters). In IRL diving, it's surprisingly easy to lose track of which way is up, even.
I have been through an enclosed tunnel in a very safe and carefully managed lake. With the diving gear on, your motion and ability to look around is already curtailed. The tank on your back, beyond your reach, grinding against the surface above you is a totally horrifying sensation. It's like a 1-step plan for developing claustrophobia. Your brain whispers: what if we're stuck? What if the regulator fails? Can we even reach our backup? etc.
Back when there was very little health n safety we went on a school trip to a cave (Wookey Hole maybe) and they made us go through a squeeze on our bellies.
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