Today (Thurs.) we did a 143 min. dive in Peacock as a "shakedown" dive. It took me the first 30 min. or so to acclimate to the different configuration & buoyancy characteristics of the rebreather. We went from the Olsen/ Pothole line to the Peanut line via the crossover tunnel. With all the ups & downs, it was a real test of my buoyancy skills. Not only did we do the crossover once,.... my instructor had me to swim through it 2 times back & forth. We went back towards the cavern, where we did some OOA exercises & bailout bottle swaps, then back down the crack on the Olsen/ Pothole line to jump off on the "Well" line. It was a little fuzzy back in there & he let me drop down to the deep section to take a peek. He started having some equalization problems & so we pulled the primary reel & exited the cave. Making the first 2 jumps, while successful, was not the prettiest in technique (still getting used to the buoyancy inside the cave), the 3rd jump was perfect. Overall a successful dive. I learned a lot more about the capabilities of my unit & how to deal with changes within the system.
---------- Post added October 24th, 2014 at 01:23 AM ----------
My only comment is that your cave instructor isn't an instructor with either of the two true cave training agencies the NACD or NSS-CDS.
That would be a huge caution light for a CCR Cave Instructor choice for most folks I know in Cave Country.
No, he is not NSS-CDS nor NACD (though he has been invited to crossover & instruct for them multiple times over the years)- he just doesn't care for the local politics that are not uncommon within/ between the agencies. He has been teaching under IANTD & TDI for well over 15 yrs. The good thing is, more often than not, the instructor & their teaching methods (so longs as in line with standards) are more important than the agency they teach for. There are excellent instructors & there are not- so- good instructors in every agency. The trick is to find the excellent ones. BTW, I am already at Full Cave level with over 170 cave dives over the past 3- 4 yrs. While not huge, considering the distance I must travel to cave dive, it isn't bad.
---------- Post added October 24th, 2014 at 01:39 AM ----------
Very reassuring :
"He is a VERY demanding, yet fair instructor. With him, your certifications are earned; never given away."
If you receive something for noting it is worth nothing. If you have to put very little effort into and activity it also has little value. The more difficult the class the more you will lean
Good luck in your new adventure...You have certainly come a long way.
SDM
It took me 2 yrs & 3 attempts to get through his Adv. Nitrox & Decompression Procedures course, because, as I discovered at that time that my initial OW & Recreational training was rather shoddy (different instructor & shop). It also took me another 2 yrs & 5 attempts to pass his Full Cave course. I would fail a portion of the class, then go back home to the quarry & practice the skill(s) until they were perfected & second nature, go back & make the next attempt, this was repeated until I was finally able to put it all together & graduate the courses. The biggest reason for the length of time it took to get through, was the distance we have to travel to get to the caves (10 hr drive).
There, I have learned the difference between good & mediocre instruction. I went on to become a recreational instructor under him & (with his blessing) strive to attain & maintain the higher standards he has for scuba instruction. Hopefully within the next year or so, I will be breaking into the technical realms of scuba instruction, with the same drive & passion he has for it.
Have fun, too!
