Deep into Earth
A cave will do its best to kill you
Cave diving is one of the most dangerous forms of scuba diving, requiring specialised gear and training that is far more technical and challenging than recreational scuba diving. Cave diving training is mainly about building mental fortitude to remain calm while diving through zero visibility water and wriggling through claustrophobic spaces. It is no place to lose your mind in panic. In an underwater cave, panic will kill you.
The question I asked myself is: Are there underwater cave systems in Sri Lanka, my home country? My search started in 2016, after completing an intense two-week training on cave diving in Thailand. While there are plenty of dry caves in Sri Lanka, it seemed that no one knew of any underwater caves. Then, in June 2017, I heard about a place called Nil Diya Pokuna (“Blue Water Pond”), situated deep within a mountain in the small town of Ella, about 200 kilometres east of Colombo. No one knew how deep the “pond” was and if the cave continued underwater. I decided to investigate.
Reaching Nil Diya Pokuna was an adventure in itself. My starting point was “Base Camp”, a small house at the edge of the mountainous forest where the cave was located. My guide was Meththananda, who discovered
Nil Diya Pokuna in 2001. We had to trek for half an hour through the forest before arriving at the “entrance” of the cave – a deep, narrow hole that was barely larger than the girth of an average person! After mustering up enough courage, I carefully rappelled down a rope into the precipitous hole. What followed was a descent through tortuous narrow
restrictions before, half an hour later and about 60 metres below the surface, arriving at a breathtaking central chamber that could easily house a five-storey building within its cavernous confines! Another half an hour later, we had arrived at
Nil Diya Pokuna.
What greeted us was an amazing sight: a beautiful natural rock pool, the size of a large swimming pool, nestled within a spacious rocky chamber. My bright torch pierced the placid blue water to reveal jagged rocks beneath, and I felt rather disappointed, as it did not appear deep enough to scuba dive. Still, there was only one way to find out. Donning a diving mask, I plunged into the pool. It felt freezing cold at 24°C. I swam to the edge of the cave, took a deep breath and dived in, swimming down about three metres (10 feet) while lighting up the periphery of the cave beneath the water.
What I saw amazed and elated me: The cave appeared to be continuing underwater as far as I could see!
A week later, I was back in the cave. This time I was kitted out with cave diving scuba gear. It was quite a challenge to get the gear all the way down to the pond, but Meththa had a great support team to help. I geared up in a sidemount scuba configuration, which is ideal for underwater cave exploration. This required me to carry two cylinders and a host of other equipment, including backups.
I plunged in, entering a realm no one had ever visited before. It was a surreal experience.
The water was crystal clear and the underwater rock formations were truly stunning. I made my way slowly into this unexplored world, gradually leaving the surface behind. To find my way back, I attached a guideline to the rocks.
Diving deeper and further into the cave, and illuminating the way with my dive torch, I eventually reached the deepest point underwater at a depth of 23 metres (75 feet). I looked around in wonder, observing interestingly shaped rock formations of various sizes and shapes. A serene sense of peace and tranquillity descended upon me. The water appeared to be entirely devoid of life. I was alone, in a place no human had been to before.
Continuing on, I approached a rather narrow pass. This is where I encountered my first difficulties. Unlike near the surface of the lake, the rock formations here were porous and soft. My exhaled bubbles impacted the roof of the cave and a flurry of rocky flakes started raining down, reducing the visibility to almost nothing. The water temperature had also dropped to 23°C, a mind-numbing cold, as I had underestimated the thickness of the diving suit required for these conditions. To make matters worse, I was entangled in my own guideline and had to endure some tense moments untangling myself in near-zero visibility. If not for the guideline, I would have never been able to make it back. Forty-five minutes later, I was back at the surface of the pond. Despite the cold, I immediately decided to do another dive to explore a different part of the cave.