This may properly belong in the forum on nondiving related, but here it is.
We often fear dying while cave diving and everyone's had the heebee jeebees during a cave dive. But for me the greatest fear of my life was last night. We'd been cave diving all day and I was exhausted and went to bed early. I woke up a bit after 1:00am and looked around and listened. The dogs were not moving, and Kimpi, my wife was not in bed. No big deal, she often stays up late. But something was not right. I got up to look around, walked around the house a bit, the dogs followed along. Kimpi was not in her computer room so I checked the bathroom. The light was off, so she was not there either, but I turned it on and the light illuminated the bedroom too - there she was lying on the floor on her back!
I thought she was dead. she was pale and I couldn't tell if she was breathing or not. A wave of fear I had never experienced almost choked me. I grabbed her shoulders and shook her and yelled "Kimpi!" On the third or fourth yell, I saw her eyelids flutter and she slowly opened her eyes. She mumbled something. She was alive.
The fear and the relief was a like an emotional double punch. I put her in bed, she came around and we talked. Naturally I wanted to call the ambulance, but she refused. She was "just dizzy and passed out." She's fine now. I sat up the rest of the night watching her breathe.
The plan was to go cave diving again today, but I couldn't leave her alone at home, so cancelled the cave dive. You know we often think of the possibility of dying in a cave and our training and experience are designed specifically towards preventing it. But to have a loved one die at home while we are cave diving. That's the reverse fear that is even worse!
-skip
