Cave 1 Next Week - How's the Water?

[InkDiver]

We were lucky enough to dive Manatee during the floods last year. It was a lovely, easy kick dive, and I really liked the cave. I wouldn't guess anybody teaches there, though.

Lynne, there are actually a number of instructors that I know that teach at Manatee. The best time there is just before the flood, when the flow goes way down. But even at it's regular flow, there is lots of instruction going on there.

 

[ucfdiver]

We were at Twin, Hole, JB, and Ginnie last weekend. JB flow was a nightmere, twin and hole both had 30-40ft of viz and light flow. Ginnie flow was picking up and viz was back to the 50ft range or more. A boat is pretty cheap, I don't see why you couldn't do a class from one, so I wouldn't sweat it.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

There are ways around JB's flow, you just need to read the cave a bit. Aside from pulling up the breakdowns, its a swimming dive if you keep to the correct areas... maybe a little pulling from 2nd breakdown to the 1st T, but not much.

Instructors OFTEN teach on the Mill Pond on Edd's pontoon boats, they have plenty of room.

 

[gxsr_sarge]

There are ways around JB's flow, you just need to read the cave a bit. Aside from pulling up the breakdowns, its a swimming dive if you keep to the correct areas... maybe a little pulling from 2nd breakdown to the 1st T, but not much.

Instructors OFTEN teach on the Mill Pond on Edd's pontoon boats, they have plenty of room.

I have no idea what your talking about! Can't wait to get into this cave stuff!!

 

[TSandM]

Lynne, there are actually a number of instructors that I know that teach at Manatee. The best time there is just before the flood, when the flow goes way down. But even at it's regular flow, there is lots of instruction going on there.

I stand corrected!

gxsr, I used to read reports of cave dives and get completely bogged down in the "breakdown pile to the second T to the Park Bench to the restriction" verbiage. Now I relish every detail. Cave diving is a sickness, and you're about to catch it

 

[gxsr_sarge]

Cave diving is a sickness, and you're about to catch it

As long as I don't have to wear a surgical mask . Thank goodness I'm doing the course in Florida and not Mexico (or else I'd get two sicknesses for the price of one!).

Cheers

 

[karstdvr]

Tammy, based on the current water levels, I'd think that Little River and Peacock will be iffy at best at the end of May. .

I would agree.

 

[rjack321]

There are ways around JB's flow, you just need to read the cave a bit. Aside from pulling up the breakdowns, its a swimming dive if you keep to the correct areas... maybe a little pulling from 2nd breakdown to the 1st T, but not much.

Instructors OFTEN teach on the Mill Pond on Edd's pontoon boats, they have plenty of room.

I have only been to JB once but I rather enjoyed it.

I pulled a bit after dropping to the cavern floor but quickly realized that wasn't really necessary. No real pulling down the Fisher crack area or to the first breakdown either. I think I pulled a bit through the 1st breakdown to take a leg break.

I did do a substantial amount of "finger braking" at the Fisher crack area to keep from shooting out of there and blowing the deco.

I had the benefit of following DIR-Atlanta which helped alot.

I enjoyed Hole-in-the-wall and diving off Edd's pontoon boats which are quite comfy. That is definitely not a Cave1 "training cave" by any stretch of the imagination though. So I doubt (and hope) you avoid that. The floor is too easily disturbed by mere fin wash, which would leave marks and really ruin the place. And the line runs on the ceiling so its a horrible example of "best practices".

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

rjack - I remember you posting after you got back from JB. I had beat you to the site by a day or two and the flow was alot lower than it is now That fissure crack can really spit a diver out with its current outflow! While its strong now, historically, JB can outflow quite a bit more on the normal basis and spike even higher.

I did Intro and Apprentice class dives in Hole in the Wall. Its a BIG cave. If you don't have your bouyancy squared away at the point of diving even at Intro level, you shouldn't be in a cave at all. The line runs on the ceiling, somewhat close to the floor, and walls at different points of the cave.

 

[rjack321]

rjack - I remember you posting after you got back from JB. I had beat you to the site by a day or two and the flow was alot lower than it is now That fissure crack can really spit a diver out with its current outflow! While its strong now, historically, JB can outflow quite a bit more on the normal basis and spike even higher.

Yeah only having been there once I asked around on CDF what was "normal". I'm mostly a MX diver so it was all new to me. It would be fun to go back when its really ripping, both the entry and exit were likeing boxing to me - weaving and dodging

The line runs on the ceiling, somewhat close to the floor, and walls at different points of the cave.

I mostly remember the line very high and close to the ceiling alot. I know there were other places where it wasn't, they just don't quite stick in the mind quite like the ceiling + all the line traps though.

I did Intro and Apprentice class dives in Hole in the Wall. Its a BIG cave. If you don't have your bouyancy squared away at the point of diving even at Intro level, you shouldn't be in a cave at all.

Yeah well even the most supposedly proficient student can have an issue doing a valve shutdown or sharing gas. You can see the evidence of this in many of the more benign caves that are more frequently used for training. As much as I would like to think every cave diver candidate is thoroughly vetted and "ready", I know that its not entirely possible without actually being in a cave. So for all practical purposes "sacrificial training caves" already exist and might as well be utilized.

Besides, the entrance restriction is probably too tight for GUE to treat Hole-in-the-Wall as a Cave1 dive anyway. So the whole discussion of whether Hole-in-the-Wall is a suitable training site is up to the other agencies, as its unlikey to be part of the OP's course.