I’m not long back from the most bizarre diving experience of my life.  Writing for DIVER magazine gives me access to some fab places, however this time I didn’t require any fins…

Deep below the Grotta Giusti spa hotel lies a 130 million year old cave system.  We ventured just several hundred meters into the system and descended just shy of 20 metres, however there’s still much more to see.  Crystal clear water at 34 degrees C, allowed me to don just shorts and a long sleeved tech vest.

Weirdly I’m pretty uncomfortable when I comes to pothole-ing;  I recently had to turn back on a dry caving trip in Spain owing to a bout of claustrophobia, however when it comes to diving in caves, i’m fine with it.  This cave trip was no exception, I simply didn’t want to leave once our time was up.  I mentioned the lack of fins, well this is what makes this experience unique – here you dive without them!  The idea behind it came from the guides I went with.  It simply reduces task loading, meaning that anyone diving within the system and unfamiliar with overhead environments, doesn’t have the added stress of worrying about their buoyancy – you’re simply rock climbing underwater.

The feature appears in this months DIVER magazine (June), so to find out more about this epic trip, go and grab yourself a copy.