In the excerpt below from an Australian Geographic podcast, Ron Allum gives some insights into the 1983 record setting Cocklebiddy Cave expedition:

More history on the exploration of Cocklebiddy Cave

Information on Cocklebiddy Cave

Images and Video of Cocklebiddy Cave

Sophie's Sister is a novel written by Nina Paine. Cave diving on Australia's Nullarbor Plain features in the story.

Sophie doesn’t know there’s a dead girl in her head, and that the dead girl is her twin sister, Georgia.

When faced with a ‘sliding doors’ moment – the opportunity to travel across Australia with freelance photographer Clinton West who is on assignment at Cocklebiddy Cave, on the Nullarbor Plain – she turns it down. Georgia on the other hand, who didn’t survive their mother’s pregnancy but who lives on as a voice in Sophie’s head, is angry and frustrated with Sophie’s boring life so decides to break free and go without her.

Travel across this incredible country with Georgia as she learns more about her sister, and life, than she anticipated. Through the extreme sport of cave diving, and the force of Mother Nature, Sophie’s Sister explores the fine line between life and death. It uses the extraordinarily beautiful, dramatic and dangerous landscape of coastal and inland Australia as its canvas. It also explores the expectations we place on ourselves and others when it comes to excitement and contentment. Dreams don’t have to be big. The small ones mean just as much.

Report of a National Geographic funded cave diving research & mapping expedition investigating Christmas Island submarine caves. The team included Australian cave divers Craig Challen, John Dalla-Zuanna and Ken Smith.

http://www.advanceddivermagazine.com/articles/christmasisland.html

The Cave Divers Association of Australia (CDAA) is looking to further increase cave diving access to Tank Cave, site of two cave diving deaths in 2011.

In an email to association members, the National Committee have asked members to consider allowing Cave rated divers access to the site. Currently, only Advanced Cave trained members can dive in Tank Cave.

Tank Cave, located in the lower south east of South Australia, has long been considered the jewel in the crown of sites whose sole diving access is through the CDAA. The site was purchased by the association in 2010 for a sum well above land value. In 2011, two cave divers, trained to the highest level within the association (Advanced Cave), died in separate diving incidents in the cave. Full accident analyses have yet to be published. Since these incidents, the association has twice eased access restrictions to dive the cave by allowing the site to be used for training dives and easing the Tank Cave dive familiarisation schedule.

Tank Cave © Neil Vincent

A simulated operation to extract an injured diver through a sump in Imperial Cave at Jenolan, NSW. Rescuers are from the VRA Cave Rescue Squad and SUSS.