Cave Diving Policeman

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The police have been in the news lately and it’s brought up all sorts of things. What is their training? What kind of person becomes a police officer? And a myriad of other issues are coming under the microscope. And it’s obvious, that being in the line of duty is a high-pressure job where things can go south quickly.

But I wanted to know, what does a police officer do to off-gas all that stress? Does he sit at home and play violent video games like, “Call of Duty” for hours? Well, I can’t speak for, nor interview all of them around the country, but I do personally know one officer. Charlie Eubank is my step-son in law and an officer in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Or, “North Cackalacky” as the locals call it.)

Charlie takes all that stress that comes with the job and goes under, underwater that is, to explore caves.

Cave diving is a specialty branch of scuba diving. And it takes a special person to be able to withstand the psychological effects of being in tight places, underwater. So why would someone in a high-stress job seek the stress of a death-defying sport like cave diving?

I’m a rescue level scuba diver myself, and I can tell you, I don’t care HOW much money you pay me, I would NEVER do cave diving. It’s creepy, dangerous, and of course, dark. It requires you to sometimes remove your breathing equipment and drag it along behind you to fit through tight places. I get clammy hands just thinking about it. I have gone into the entrance of caves, looked around and signaled to my dive buddy, “Well, this is nice and I’ve had a look, but I am OUT of here!” I don’t stick around and explore

But for this police officer, cave diving gives him an intense focus and a thrilling experience that few understand nor have experienced.

I think you’re going to be fascinated by this interview with Charlotte police officer, Charlie Eubank on the lure of cave diving.

Here is the warning sign that greets all cave divers (or sport divers who don’t know better!)

SHOW NOTE: Charlie talks about having his “regulator” yanked out of his mouth during training. That’s the part that goes into your mouth SO YOU CAN BREATHE. So if your buddy or an out of air diver pulls your regulator out of your mouth while underwater, that’s a sure test on how you can handle stress!