Many underwater cave entrances are marked with a stark warning sign bearing an image of the grim reaper, imploring the diver to "prevent your death - go no farther". Underwater caves can be enticing to divers, but entering one without the correct training and equipment is extraordinarily dangerous. Hundreds of scuba divers have swum into an inviting-looking cave with crystal clear water, then turned around to see a wall of darkness from the silt they have kicked up; very few have lived to tell the tale.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distance_line
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp-content/up...
Narongsak explained that the divers had fixed rope lines along the passageway and distributed oxygen tanks along their route, allowing them to advance through the exceptionally narrow passageway unencumbered by bulky equipment. Other teams worked to pump out floodwater and divert groundwater, he said.
It seems like they have something like this in place already. From what I understand the passageway is quite narrow, which would make it risky to take anything bulky through.In such situations it's best to go with the simplest solution you know will work and people are trained for, instead of trying to get fancy and possibly endanger the whole undertaking (imagine a robot getting stuck somewhere and blocking the way for everyone...).
I don't know anything about that cave, but it's quite common for cave divers to remove their equipment (and put it in front of them) because a passage is so small that the diver and a gas tank won't fit at the same time. What's the chance of a robot doing the same?