Lost in Lima

[metaldector]

Visiting my wife's family in Peru S.A. and I figured what the heck I'll check out the local dive scene. Lima's a city of 13 million people located on the west coast of South America (on the Pacific Ocean). So I go down to the ocean yesterday and see a lot of big waves and a few surfers, plus there are hang-gliders jumping of 35 story buildings and gliding out over the beach before landing in the ocean front parks, so I know that some people here have the money to enjoy expensive hobbies. I get the local Yellow Pages and can't find a single dive shop! I do a web search and find a store that sells surfer wet suits, but diving,, No! Then I find that there is diving in Peru but its only 800 miles north on the coast of Ecquador where it is considerably warmer and it's ocean diving. Well I haven't given up, I'm going to visit the South America Explorers Club and see it they can give me any info. I've attached a few photo's for your enjoyment of locals wanting to dive.
Photo #1 those tired of waiting
Photo #2 a woman waiting to find a PADI Instructor
Photo #3 a guy so bored waiting to dive he found a new hobby.
Enjoy, but don't come here to dive.

[metaldector]

After two weeks in Lima I finally found a dive shop and the answer to my questions about cave diving in Peru. There is but one dive shop and it has little equipment and no compressor. The owner is a CMAS gas blender with twenty years experience diving. When I told him that I was a cave diver he replied that in all of Peru there were maybe 3 technical divers!! I couldn't find out where he fills tanks as our broken Spanish and English didn't allow for detail conversations.
The cave is about 7 hours from Lima at an altitude of 13,450 ft above sea level. You have to repel into it and hump your gear in about 2000 feet before encountering large water. From there it sounds like sump diving to me. It's been penetrated to 9000 feet by a combined team of U.S., Germans and Peruvians back in 1986 (perhaps more recently but I couldn't find anything on that). According to the CMAS instructor you will spend two days underground.
While this sounds intriguing it also sound well beyond my skill level. Rebreathers would be required, camping gear and light that will burn for two days (read spare batteries). Also being that high in the mountains the water is bound to be very cold and I don't like cold water. Should anyone want to pursue an expedition to this cave I'd love to give you more information.

[metaldector]

The cave is called Gruta de Guagapo (the weeping cave). I found this photo on the internet (credit is not mine).

[FW]

It sounds like fun to me! If I were down there, I would at least dive the first few hundred feet.

[sskasser]

Sounds like a blast! Let's go!

[PoorCop]

Sad thing is I think photo #3 is some kind of smoking pipe or something. It would take a pretty secure man to smoke that pipe. lol