cave course preb drills

Hi

I will be taking my NACD full cave combo course in a few months(i know its not the best way 2 get certified, but i can only stay for around a week).
I was wondering if any of you cavers know of good drills that i could practise in my pool, so when i'm in the course I would have a little edge.(eg lost line drills ect)

Thanks

I would suggest making sure your basic skills are sharp. Make sure your horizontal and can stay that way and work on the various anti-silting kicks if your familiar with them. Who are you doing the class with?

where do you guys do these cave courses???? florida??? I live in mass.. and would be interested in taking a course,, any recomendations?? suggestions?? do I need a whole lot of extra gear??

capecodder once bubbled...
where do you guys do these cave courses???? florida???

Click to expand...

I ran away to Luraville, FL for a weekend for my Cavern course.

"extra gear" greatly depends on how you dive already. You'll need a reel, a spool, and a primary and secondary light. You'll probably want a long hose primary and bungee backup; depending on your instructor.

All in all, it wasn't hard to get what I wanted/needed after hooking up with my instructor. All I really needed above what I already had was a spool and the cavern manual.

For beyond cavern, you'll have to look at a redundant air setup [h-valve or doubles] a second backup light, etc...

If you're serious about it, find an instructor and talk with them about what you'll need for equipment.

thanks for the info -
I may be getting a little ahead of myself here,,, I'm in aow now,,, but I have had chance to log quite a few dives over the years,,, most recently was a dive in cenote in mexico,,,,,, got a little taste of cavern diving,,, enjoyed it,,, I really don't have much in the way of gear,,, just basic stuff nothing for penetration,,,, anyway,,, just had an interest,,, see where it takes me,,,,,, thanks for the info,
buck

Make sure all your skills are perfected before you go. Valve drills in trim with out moving up, down or side to side. Practice running line on land using the right tie off methods. Go to the local pond and swim 2 inches off the bottom with out making any silt for at least 1500ft then swim back the same way (this would make you bang up if practiced alot). Make sure you have all the gear your going to need. Practice bottle drops. You should be able to drop a bottle and pick one up quickly with out bouyancy fluctuation. Make sure you know how to gas plan with basic tables. CNS,OTU, EAD. You should be able to figure almost everything out with your brain/calculator and a pad/pencil. I would suggest having adv. nitrox also. Dont worry about the lost line drills thats something they'll throw at you toward the middle of the week just when you think your feeling comfortable. Lights Out/Lost Line (not a nice feeling in Ginnie Springs current). Good Luck you'll love it. Best class, best experience I have ever had.

What are valve drills?

Valve drills, reel usage (how to remove and reline reel or spool),

The best thing would be to get in the water and run a reel with depth changes (or have someone who knows what they are doing do this for you), then follow the line while maintaining neutral buoyancy without a mask on for at least 30 minutes. If you can do this drill without a problem, then you are in OK shape. If you can't follow a line that has depth changes while maintaining neutral buoyancy without being able to see, you may want to start practicing. This skill is the main reason that I have to spend extra time (read: you pay more) with students.
Also, make sure that you are familiar with the logic behind your gear set-up. If something doesn't work, it will be shredded.
Who's the course with?
Good luck and have fun. If you are in Fl, I may see you.
Cheers
Oh, and Merkin, Valve drills are used with double tanks. You have a valve for controlling each cylinder and a valve on the crossover manifold. Valve drills teach you to manipulate these knobs on the fly while diving to ensure safety.

Hi

Thanks for the information, will try dhose drills when ice/snow melts. I was looking at taking the cave course at aquatec in mexico, but am still open to options. Are there any places in florida you recommend?

Thanks
Eric

...Hmm, "Norwaydiver" - does that mean you live in Norway? If so you can do cave courses in Europe (certainly the UK and France). Depends why you want to do the course - if you want to dive in Norwegian caves, a European course might be more appropriate as the conditions will be similar.

Duncan