Ok, so I had a major butt kicking and a great time together! Not common I know but true in this case. In April I started my progression toward full cave with drysuit, sidemount and Intro to Cave with Edd Sorenson and the crew at Cave Adventurers.
Drysuit, now that was a learning experience but not as bad as I expected. I went with the Pinnacle Black Ice recommended by Edd. Donning was not too bad. Edd's advice to put a section of hosiery over my head to hold the hair helped immensely. Mostly needed help with the zipper. Doffing was harder, especially pulling the front section over my head. Got me hooked on drysuit though. Looking at tropical versions.
Sidemount. Of course Edd recommended the SMS 75. Size small was still a little large. May need to modify some in the future. He mentioned moving the door handles medially. In fact, considering a thread to find other petite females in sidemount for advice.
Cave. OMG! I am hooked. Didn't make it as far into the cave as I would have liked and no real chance to look around but I was completely fascinated by it. According to Edd the outflow was unusually high.
As a self proclaimed "vacation diver" my version of frog kicks were not to Edd's standards but I think I made a lot of progress during the course. I did get an Edd hug for my individual blackout mask exit but made up for it the next day by struggling with the lost line drill. Nailed it the third day. Not too good with touch contact/air share either. Still needs work. And my reel work was less than perfect. I like my Light Monkey reel but Edd's not a fan so I used my DR for the lost line drills. My hand just doesn't seem large enough to hold the handle firmly and keep line tension at the same time. Again looking for any advice there.
It was a grueling 8 am to 6+ pm daily adventure that I can't wait to do again.
I want to thank ...
Edd Sorenson for showing an incredible amount of patience.
Steve Lewis (Doppler) for the drysuit advice.
Tim Pinkerton for advice, encouragement and guidance.
Trace Malinowski (TraceMalin) for advice on preparation for the course.
Dennis (lowviz) emotional support and help with equipment.
The staff at Cave Adventurers for being so supportive and understanding of a "vacation diver" in their midst.
And last but most importantly, Eric (Soloist) my partner in life and diving for understanding my need to follow my dreams.
Drysuit, now that was a learning experience but not as bad as I expected. I went with the Pinnacle Black Ice recommended by Edd. Donning was not too bad. Edd's advice to put a section of hosiery over my head to hold the hair helped immensely. Mostly needed help with the zipper. Doffing was harder, especially pulling the front section over my head. Got me hooked on drysuit though. Looking at tropical versions.
Sidemount. Of course Edd recommended the SMS 75. Size small was still a little large. May need to modify some in the future. He mentioned moving the door handles medially. In fact, considering a thread to find other petite females in sidemount for advice.
Cave. OMG! I am hooked. Didn't make it as far into the cave as I would have liked and no real chance to look around but I was completely fascinated by it. According to Edd the outflow was unusually high.
As a self proclaimed "vacation diver" my version of frog kicks were not to Edd's standards but I think I made a lot of progress during the course. I did get an Edd hug for my individual blackout mask exit but made up for it the next day by struggling with the lost line drill. Nailed it the third day. Not too good with touch contact/air share either. Still needs work. And my reel work was less than perfect. I like my Light Monkey reel but Edd's not a fan so I used my DR for the lost line drills. My hand just doesn't seem large enough to hold the handle firmly and keep line tension at the same time. Again looking for any advice there.
It was a grueling 8 am to 6+ pm daily adventure that I can't wait to do again.
I want to thank ...
Edd Sorenson for showing an incredible amount of patience.
Steve Lewis (Doppler) for the drysuit advice.
Tim Pinkerton for advice, encouragement and guidance.
Trace Malinowski (TraceMalin) for advice on preparation for the course.
Dennis (lowviz) emotional support and help with equipment.
The staff at Cave Adventurers for being so supportive and understanding of a "vacation diver" in their midst.
And last but most importantly, Eric (Soloist) my partner in life and diving for understanding my need to follow my dreams.
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