Rescue and Cave Cert - Looking for the right LDS

[Semita]

Hello all,

I want to get back to diving regularly and have made a personal goal to obtain my Rescue and possibly my Cave certification while living in Florida.

I got my Open Water certification in Utila Honduras and later obtained my Advanced certification from another dive operation in Utila as well. I have then jumped all over the place experiencing different operations and dive services.

The point I am trying to make is that I have learned to appreciate a very professional and serious approach to teaching and learning about diving over the "FUN" operations out there.

I would much rather have a dive master or instructor talk to me about gear configurations, experiences, etc during surface intervals rather than discuss the best watering hole or restaurant in town. I understand that many fun operations contribute to the popularity of the sport but it is simply not what appeals to me right now.

So.....living in Miami, Fl and looking for the right LDS to obtain my Rescue Cert.

What do you all recommend? Experiences and suggestions are welcomed.

Thank you all!

 

[yupito]

I just finished my Rescue certification with a private very serious instructor which i would not hesitate to recommend. please pm me and i will provide you with name a contact info. by the way, i live in south miami, and am latin. saludos.

 

[ReefHound]

As always, shop for an instructor not an LDS. Especially for cave training. I can't help you in your area but whatever recommendations you get, be sure to actually talk to the instructor (not just the shop owner or manager, unless they are the instructor) to get a feel for his style and knowledge. No matter how many people rave about an instructor, not everybody connects with everybody. Ask some questions and see if you easily understand the answers and have light bulbs turning on in your head. If he can't get through to you in the shop, he's probably not going to do any better in the water.

 

[H2Andy]

your best bet for cave training is an instructor, not a shop, as ReefHound said

think individual mentoring and not consumer relationship

i can personally recommend Johnny RIchards and RIck Murcar (GDI here on this board) as excellent instructors. if you ask around, you will find at least half a dozen other excellent cave instructors

 

[Semita]

Thank you all for the feedback....I have seen some links to the references some of you have posted and will be contacting the instructors personally. I am also reading about other fellow board members as well who are instructors.

QUestion: How far north do I have to go in Florida to be able to do Cave diving? Everything I am finding is above Gainsville!!!

Thanks again for you feedback.

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

I don't think you're going to find an LDS that has any cave instructors on staff in Miami. You're going to have to seak out independent instructors like Leslie Pitaro or Richard Rydell.

While you can do cave 'remotely' by driving up to cave country over several trips, there is some benefit to doing the course work down here and just going up for the dives.

Eventually, you are going to have to make the drive because that's where the caves are...

This is Leslie's website:

Home Of The Runawaylobster

Let me know and I can PM you Richard's number.