1) Maintaining trim requires a significant degree of skill. A badly trimmed diver can't purposefully swim and is very difficult to tow. It's potentially safer a

1) Maintaining trim requires a significant degree of skill. A badly trimmed diver can't purposefully swim and is very difficult to tow. It's potentially safer and easier to bundle someone up as a package and manage their trim externally. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diver_trim https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diver_trim 2) Scuba gear presents a considerable entanglement hazard in a confined space. There are a lot of hoses and protrusions that could get snagged on a rock feature, a guide line or another diver's gear. There's nothing stopping you from using a face mask and some kind of protective vessel to make the kids easier to drag through a cave. That vessel doesn't need to be pressurised to be useful. 3) A panicked diver can be absolutely terrifying. They do wild, irrational and often violent things. Many divers have died or killed a dive partner because of panic, even in quite benign open water conditions. A totally inexperienced diver in a difficult cave system poses a tremendous risk. Brutal as it might seem, a panicked diver doesn't pose a hazard if they're immobilised. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnWKS5DzKRU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnWKS5DzKRU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF3dQDgynT4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF3dQDgynT4