Why I became a cave diver!

Punching ice is great. Finding a new blip that looks like a wreck is cool, the bounce to check is even cooler.
I quit my job and moved to Florida so I could cave dive every day about six months ago. The original plan was to cave dive for about 250 dives and then go back to deep wreck diving exclusively. Well, that's come and gone, and I still find myself in a cave 6 days a week. Whether it's no-mount, sidemount (still not happy with my sidemount rig), doubles with or without manifold, I find the relaxation of cave diving very therapeutic. There's nothing like pushing in a couple thousand feet, killing a light, and coming out on a line. The enjoyment gained from a simple dive using back gas at Cow Springs can't be explained.
I was under the assumption prior to cave diving that cave diving was a great hurdle that really separated good divers from plows.
Now, I see the error in that logic. Cave diving is much more simple than any boat dive in the world. The rules are nearly bulletproof. From a mathematical basis, there are far fewer variables than almost any openwater dive.
It's just plain fun.
I would recommend cave diving to anyone who can control their fears, enjoy the feeling gained from "weightlessness", and enjoy going places that most will never see. It's great.
I wish it were not so easy. I love wreck diving.
If interested, seek proper training.
Gotta go diving.

My name is Jamie, and I am a Cave-a-holic.

I wish I could quit my job and move to Florida to cave dive 6 days a week.

You're a lucky guy!!!

I don't know what kind of sacrifices he had to make to become a full time cave diver, but my guess is that it wasn't luck, unless he won the lottery or something.

D

sigh.... cave diving 6 days a week?? Man, that's sweet and I know EXACTLY what you're saying!!!

For all the bad press that cave diving gets it's pretty dang relaxing 99.999% of the time!

Just don't get complacent... that's where we loose cave divers.

DSAO!!

Hey Divesherpa... did I see you at Ginnie about a month ago, maybe a month and a half?? There was someone with an Alaska tag leaving the turkey roost area just after I took off my gear and I said something to him about a long drive and he said he had moved here.... I totally forgot about that until just now.... was that you??

DSAO!!

It looks like my company (the day job) may be sold. If I must go out of town to work it won't be possible to keep the shop open and the shop can't buy my beer let alone feed me and pay the bills. So...if I must look for work I will look in Florida. A group of customers said they won't allow this but..As much as we love them they will understand. They are cave divers. I don't really know why I became a cave diver except the more I learned about it the more I had to do it. Now I don't want to dive anywhere else.

Originally posted by MikeFerrara
It looks like my company (the day job) may be sold. If I must go out of town to work it won't be possible to keep the shop open and the shop can't buy my beer let alone feed me and pay the bills. So...if I must look for work I will look in Florida. A group of customers said they won't allow this but..As much as we love them they will understand. They are cave divers. I don't really know why I became a cave diver except the more I learned about it the more I had to do it. Now I don't want to dive anywhere else.

Click to expand...

Great for Florida anyway. We'd love to have you here.

Tom

Thanks!

Mike

Divesherpa,

Must be nice....

What type of sidemount rig are you using? Have you seen that Armadillo rig?

Thanks
Eric

WYDT,
That was probably me. I had to switch my tags over about 3 weeks ago. I haven't seen anyone else with AK plates in cave country.
I hope I was friendly!