Cave diving with Trace course review
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same. Ran them every time I've been there for classes, but only if the basin is really ugly for "me" dives. It gets to be an utter cluster with the amount of traffic that cave can have.
I have a Dive Rite pocket that I can put on any bottles, but is usually on the first deco bottle. Has MP3 player in it, spare mask, spare wetnotes, fruitsnacks or whatever else etc. that I don't need/want to take with me on the dive portion, but will make deco considerably easier.
Light failures are more than just batteries and poor charging habits. Light cords get nicked and can develop intermittent shorts. E/O cords become unplugged. Light heads can implode. Etc etc etc.
A mask isn't that big of a deal to carry. Dive Rite makes a convenient pouch for them.
I have had a mask break. It was feeling loose and when I went to tighten it, the pin to strap connection ripped out of the silicon skirt. It was at the very start of a dive and I used my backup for the rest of the dive.
I bring a spare - usually.
IIRC The gold lines at peacock were brought out to OW quite awhile ago (4 years?).
I bring a spare - usually.
IIRC The gold lines at peacock were brought out to OW quite awhile ago (4 years?).
- Messages
- 20,561
- Reaction score
- 14,946
- # of dives
- I'm a Fish!
I thought they were closer than 20ft, but admit last time I was there I didn't scrutinize exactly where the rock started overhead. For sure if you went to the end of that gold line and went up you'd bump your head once or twice, but also end up on the surface. I'm glad its not a rat's nest there, this is one of those times when that 10-20ft of line is not enhancing anyone's safety.
I don't mind classes running line for practice in Peacock even if its not required outside of class.
I don't mind classes running line for practice in Peacock even if its not required outside of class.
Just a bit about how I style cave classes. Teaching is a lifestyle choice so the following is more or less a guide to the in-water training.
CAVERN
A typical cavern class with me begins in Ginnie Springs in the basin. I let the student just do a recreational style dive to settle in before doing any skills. We venture down to the Santa Fe and see the difference between the river and the spring water and the various aquatic inhabitants. I demonstrate the different propulsion techniques during the swim: Flutter kick over the sand showing silting, switching to modified flutter to reduce or eliminate that effect, shuffle kick, frog kick, modified frog kick, backward kick, and helicopter turns. Some students coming in for cavern have been exposed to those kicks. Others may be trying them for the first time. I also demonstrate the pull & glide technique.
Once back in the basin, we go to work. We start by doing Basic 5 skills, S-Drills, and Valve Drills then run the guideline. We practice a proper primary tie-off, a speed locked/tension twist secondary, various wraps and placements, and installing the reel on a rock or log for a final tie-off like in the land drills. During this phase, I create some easy failures such as post failures, lost buoyancy (stealing OPV or runaway inflation), lost mask, OOG, light failures, etc., and we learn to exit on the guideline in touch contact and then gas sharing. I then try to sucker the student into the cavern. Will the student just follow me without a plan, safety checks, gas plan, and running a guideline?
On our second dive, we plan to enter the overhead. I use the PLANS SAVE mnemonic I created for PSAI: People - Who leads? Who follows? In what order? What are the responsibilities of each team member? Logistics - "ADDD" up. What Air/Gas are we diving? What is our planned max/avg depth? What is our planned duration? What deco/safety stops are we planning for normal, overstay, bailout? Air Rule - Are we diving simple thirds, sixths, rock bottom? Navigation - "ADD" the Nav. Azimuth? Directional markers/changes? Distance from shore. boat, cave entrance? Signals - Coaching signals I'll use, command hand & light, hand signals, light signals, written communication. In the water, the SAVE may save your life. S-Drill, Air Leak "Bubble" Check, Valve Drill, Equipment matching. We begin with full drills and equipment inventory and as the student progresses we switch to modified drills and inventory of things like team resources and reels and spools. I advocate 2 safety reels at all times in addition to planned jump/gap reels and primary.
During the primary tie-off, I'll often signal OOG or have a team member signal OOG to see if the team leader is able to maintain awareness of team while tasked. Once in the overhead, I try to sucker the cavern student into following me through the window and restriction to the left of the Ballroom. If they do (and they usually do), I kill the lights in the "Cave" zone. Sometimes, I pull out the notebook and ask about sunlight and rules on cavern divers going through restrictions. Other times, I pull an OOG and make the student return through those features and discuss it on the surface. I like to test the student's ability to process the manifold while I'm on the long hose. I'll create a right post failure and see if the student shuts it off on me while I'm breathing.
After the student has had a chance to explore the cavern and get turned on by how cool it is inside the overhead, we head to the grate. I demonstrate that you can use streamlining to hold your position right in front of the bars and use an easy modified flutter or shuffle to stay put. The frog kick usually creates more drag and work. A good modified frog can also keep you in place. Extra points for angling the body just right so you don't need to fin much at all. Wetsuits usually allow this more than drysuits. Since the student(s) are used to performing Basic 5, S-Drills, & Valve Drills face to face. I teach them to lifeguard each other while in the tandem position. The student performs these skills facing into the high flow coming out of Old Jenny/Ginnie Cave while the other team members watch from behind. This helps them learn to view the movements of divers in front of them when they cannot see a task or skill directly from the front. Many divers have never experienced flow so clearing the regulator, donating into current, removing and replacing the mask, and all that jazz instills confidence for the mask floods and freeflows that are typical during entries in the Devil's Ear. This is when I often love to steal a teammate initiating a lost buddy drill. The lead diver(s) turn back to find the last diver in the team is missing.
For a third dive, I like to return to Ginnie as it is getting dark. I want to see if the students realize that the cavern becomes a cave at night. Depending upon the attitude of the students I either: 1) Have them get out of the water and get the gear off (unsafe/poor attitude). 2) See if they are willing to go "cave diving." If no one points out it is now a "cave" at night then the dive is nothing but failures ... and failures ... and failures. 3) If someone points out they can't go diving because it's a cave, I give them the option of a relaxing dive or gently working on skills that need improvement.
We normally go to Peacock Springs and dive the cavern zone at P1 on day 2. I like to focus on quality lost line drills on day 2. After a tour of the cavern, I initiate the lost line drill. I tell the student that I'm going to try to spin and disorient the student as much as I can so the student learns to trust the procedure. I prefer a primary tie followed up with a secondary tie within arm's reach so that a "Roman Sundial" is created that can act as a directional reference. You want the line short so you can't mistake it for a guideline. In Intro to Cave, I don't spin the student. I want the see the student choose a search technique based upon last known line position. At the Apprentice level, I like to throw in a left post failure when the student ties into a rock, followed by a right post failure when the student installs the secondary tie-off. I want to see if the student realizes that he or she needs to have at least one of the two posts open to breathe -- even if they have both failed. I'm interested in how the student performs the search while the annoying hiss of bubbles places adds time pressure.
Dive number four of cavern means the gloves come off and the failures are coming. Once the student survives a test of lost line, lost buddy, OOG, light failure, lights out gas sharing exit, etc., they graduate and can move to Intro to Cave.
INTRO TO CAVE
The first dive of Intro to Cave is a nice relaxing tour as a reward for the hard work on the second day of cavern. I lead to take all of the pressure of being watched off the student and to allow the student to watch me dive to learn by example. This is often a night dive at Ginnie entering Devil's Eye. It's less intimidating than the Ear at night and peaceful. Sometimes, we do our first Intro dive at Peacock.
The second Intro to Cave dive involves the student running line and entering the Ear. I normally help the student by going ahead so they can watch me enter the Ear and I help by signaling tie points. After that, the student(s) run their own dive. I jump in creating failures and such when spankings become necessary. I help on the way out going ahead to demostrate getting heavy and to intercept anyone who might have problems with buoyancy or other issues.
Dives 3 & 4 involve repeating lost line, lost buddy, gas sharing, etc. I want to make sure the student is solid with basic skills. Trim, buoyancy, propulsion (including my own performance) are discussed and improved.
APPRENTICE
At this level, I just want the student to enjoy cave diving as much as possible only throwing in stuff when a learning experience is warranted. But, I try to sucker the student into making the traverse to Olsen (traverses are full cave) or do other no-no's. I also really like testing trim, buoyancy & propulsion in tigher siltier tunnels. When we do skill drills or failures, I like to bring multiples. I lead some dives. The students lead others.
CAVE
Here, I want the student to just work on diving. I like to set up and do the Grand traverse (Mile Run) at Peacock, the Merry-Go-Round circuit at Little River, the Bone Circuit and Bat Circuit at Ginnie. I also like doing the siphon at Manatee. For teaching I usually use Ginnie, Peacock, Little River, Manatee and Madison Blue. On our final dive, I like to do a night dive in the Ballroom and first have the student perform all the drills as if they are coming back to cave country and should go in there and practice lost line, lost buddy, OOG, etc., before going cave diving. Then, I like to wreak havoc including guideline repair. In Beau's class, his ear prevented us from diving another couple days so his last dive was the Bone Circuit with lost line search, gas sharing from the Bone jump through the Cornflakes, Keyhole and Lips then lights out gas sharing exit down the Gallery.
I throw stuff like stuck diver, unconscious diver, frozen diver, panicked diver on long hose, buddy with buoyancy loss, and other creatives which build confidence in one's ability to problem-solve in the cave environment. My students are welcome to take part in any classes they've already taken (space available). If others with training want to audit then I ask that they contribute something -- toss me a few bucks, buy everyone dinner, etc. My girlfriend is waiting for me to watch a movie so I probably missed saying something important while typing under time pressure.
CAVERN
A typical cavern class with me begins in Ginnie Springs in the basin. I let the student just do a recreational style dive to settle in before doing any skills. We venture down to the Santa Fe and see the difference between the river and the spring water and the various aquatic inhabitants. I demonstrate the different propulsion techniques during the swim: Flutter kick over the sand showing silting, switching to modified flutter to reduce or eliminate that effect, shuffle kick, frog kick, modified frog kick, backward kick, and helicopter turns. Some students coming in for cavern have been exposed to those kicks. Others may be trying them for the first time. I also demonstrate the pull & glide technique.
Once back in the basin, we go to work. We start by doing Basic 5 skills, S-Drills, and Valve Drills then run the guideline. We practice a proper primary tie-off, a speed locked/tension twist secondary, various wraps and placements, and installing the reel on a rock or log for a final tie-off like in the land drills. During this phase, I create some easy failures such as post failures, lost buoyancy (stealing OPV or runaway inflation), lost mask, OOG, light failures, etc., and we learn to exit on the guideline in touch contact and then gas sharing. I then try to sucker the student into the cavern. Will the student just follow me without a plan, safety checks, gas plan, and running a guideline?
On our second dive, we plan to enter the overhead. I use the PLANS SAVE mnemonic I created for PSAI: People - Who leads? Who follows? In what order? What are the responsibilities of each team member? Logistics - "ADDD" up. What Air/Gas are we diving? What is our planned max/avg depth? What is our planned duration? What deco/safety stops are we planning for normal, overstay, bailout? Air Rule - Are we diving simple thirds, sixths, rock bottom? Navigation - "ADD" the Nav. Azimuth? Directional markers/changes? Distance from shore. boat, cave entrance? Signals - Coaching signals I'll use, command hand & light, hand signals, light signals, written communication. In the water, the SAVE may save your life. S-Drill, Air Leak "Bubble" Check, Valve Drill, Equipment matching. We begin with full drills and equipment inventory and as the student progresses we switch to modified drills and inventory of things like team resources and reels and spools. I advocate 2 safety reels at all times in addition to planned jump/gap reels and primary.
During the primary tie-off, I'll often signal OOG or have a team member signal OOG to see if the team leader is able to maintain awareness of team while tasked. Once in the overhead, I try to sucker the cavern student into following me through the window and restriction to the left of the Ballroom. If they do (and they usually do), I kill the lights in the "Cave" zone. Sometimes, I pull out the notebook and ask about sunlight and rules on cavern divers going through restrictions. Other times, I pull an OOG and make the student return through those features and discuss it on the surface. I like to test the student's ability to process the manifold while I'm on the long hose. I'll create a right post failure and see if the student shuts it off on me while I'm breathing.
After the student has had a chance to explore the cavern and get turned on by how cool it is inside the overhead, we head to the grate. I demonstrate that you can use streamlining to hold your position right in front of the bars and use an easy modified flutter or shuffle to stay put. The frog kick usually creates more drag and work. A good modified frog can also keep you in place. Extra points for angling the body just right so you don't need to fin much at all. Wetsuits usually allow this more than drysuits. Since the student(s) are used to performing Basic 5, S-Drills, & Valve Drills face to face. I teach them to lifeguard each other while in the tandem position. The student performs these skills facing into the high flow coming out of Old Jenny/Ginnie Cave while the other team members watch from behind. This helps them learn to view the movements of divers in front of them when they cannot see a task or skill directly from the front. Many divers have never experienced flow so clearing the regulator, donating into current, removing and replacing the mask, and all that jazz instills confidence for the mask floods and freeflows that are typical during entries in the Devil's Ear. This is when I often love to steal a teammate initiating a lost buddy drill. The lead diver(s) turn back to find the last diver in the team is missing.
For a third dive, I like to return to Ginnie as it is getting dark. I want to see if the students realize that the cavern becomes a cave at night. Depending upon the attitude of the students I either: 1) Have them get out of the water and get the gear off (unsafe/poor attitude). 2) See if they are willing to go "cave diving." If no one points out it is now a "cave" at night then the dive is nothing but failures ... and failures ... and failures. 3) If someone points out they can't go diving because it's a cave, I give them the option of a relaxing dive or gently working on skills that need improvement.
We normally go to Peacock Springs and dive the cavern zone at P1 on day 2. I like to focus on quality lost line drills on day 2. After a tour of the cavern, I initiate the lost line drill. I tell the student that I'm going to try to spin and disorient the student as much as I can so the student learns to trust the procedure. I prefer a primary tie followed up with a secondary tie within arm's reach so that a "Roman Sundial" is created that can act as a directional reference. You want the line short so you can't mistake it for a guideline. In Intro to Cave, I don't spin the student. I want the see the student choose a search technique based upon last known line position. At the Apprentice level, I like to throw in a left post failure when the student ties into a rock, followed by a right post failure when the student installs the secondary tie-off. I want to see if the student realizes that he or she needs to have at least one of the two posts open to breathe -- even if they have both failed. I'm interested in how the student performs the search while the annoying hiss of bubbles places adds time pressure.
Dive number four of cavern means the gloves come off and the failures are coming. Once the student survives a test of lost line, lost buddy, OOG, light failure, lights out gas sharing exit, etc., they graduate and can move to Intro to Cave.
INTRO TO CAVE
The first dive of Intro to Cave is a nice relaxing tour as a reward for the hard work on the second day of cavern. I lead to take all of the pressure of being watched off the student and to allow the student to watch me dive to learn by example. This is often a night dive at Ginnie entering Devil's Eye. It's less intimidating than the Ear at night and peaceful. Sometimes, we do our first Intro dive at Peacock.
The second Intro to Cave dive involves the student running line and entering the Ear. I normally help the student by going ahead so they can watch me enter the Ear and I help by signaling tie points. After that, the student(s) run their own dive. I jump in creating failures and such when spankings become necessary. I help on the way out going ahead to demostrate getting heavy and to intercept anyone who might have problems with buoyancy or other issues.
Dives 3 & 4 involve repeating lost line, lost buddy, gas sharing, etc. I want to make sure the student is solid with basic skills. Trim, buoyancy, propulsion (including my own performance) are discussed and improved.
APPRENTICE
At this level, I just want the student to enjoy cave diving as much as possible only throwing in stuff when a learning experience is warranted. But, I try to sucker the student into making the traverse to Olsen (traverses are full cave) or do other no-no's. I also really like testing trim, buoyancy & propulsion in tigher siltier tunnels. When we do skill drills or failures, I like to bring multiples. I lead some dives. The students lead others.
CAVE
Here, I want the student to just work on diving. I like to set up and do the Grand traverse (Mile Run) at Peacock, the Merry-Go-Round circuit at Little River, the Bone Circuit and Bat Circuit at Ginnie. I also like doing the siphon at Manatee. For teaching I usually use Ginnie, Peacock, Little River, Manatee and Madison Blue. On our final dive, I like to do a night dive in the Ballroom and first have the student perform all the drills as if they are coming back to cave country and should go in there and practice lost line, lost buddy, OOG, etc., before going cave diving. Then, I like to wreak havoc including guideline repair. In Beau's class, his ear prevented us from diving another couple days so his last dive was the Bone Circuit with lost line search, gas sharing from the Bone jump through the Cornflakes, Keyhole and Lips then lights out gas sharing exit down the Gallery.
I throw stuff like stuck diver, unconscious diver, frozen diver, panicked diver on long hose, buddy with buoyancy loss, and other creatives which build confidence in one's ability to problem-solve in the cave environment. My students are welcome to take part in any classes they've already taken (space available). If others with training want to audit then I ask that they contribute something -- toss me a few bucks, buy everyone dinner, etc. My girlfriend is waiting for me to watch a movie so I probably missed saying something important while typing under time pressure.
Jack Hammer
Contributor
I had my mask kicked off and had to go to my backup. I've also had all 3 lights fail (cord failure on primary, fresh batteries in both backups were defective and leaked acid all over both lights ruining them).
“Once in the overhead, I try to sucker the cavern student into following me through the window and restriction to the left of the Ballroom. If they do (and they usually do)“
I was definitely suckered. After I squeezed through the second restriction, a slate was waiting for me that said “how dead are you right now”
I was definitely suckered. After I squeezed through the second restriction, a slate was waiting for me that said “how dead are you right now”
Some little things:
1) I want my students to be able to identify their arrows, cookies, spools, reels, bottles, regs, scooters, etc., by feel.
2) In cavern/intro I like the students to pin their primary reel by adding a line arrow. This gives them practice placing & removing navigation markers, identifies their reel, and gives the cave community a "heads up" that the line was run by a student so they don't race home to complain on CDF.
3) I created a simpler line repair procedure that can be performed by one person by tying loops into each end of a cut line and bridging the gap using a line arrow. The hooks on the arrows hook the loops for a temporary continuous guideline which can be repaired later.
4) PSAI standards allow for each of the four basic cave levels to be taken as individual courses or to run all the classes together as a "Complete Overhead Diver Training" program. If taken traditionally, 3 cavern dives + 1 OW make up the cavern course, 4 cave dives at Intro, 4 cave dives at Apprentice, 6 cave dives at Full Cave. If done as one complete course a minimum of 3 cavern + 12 cave dives are required.
5) The use of one deco gas is allowed at Apprentice. Since PSAI has a Cave Deco course, I prefer teaching with deco gas during that course and sticking to back gas during basic training if the diver hasn't had prior deco training. The PSAI Cave Deco course was created to provide cave divers with essential advanced nitrox training for decompression diving, but without the need to achieve depth like most advanced nitrox programs. In other words, "No. We don't need to take you into Lower Orange or Eagle's Nest to teach you how to switch to oxygen and deco on ledges and logs or by hovering in places like Ginnie and Little River."
6) The Ballroom is such an effective classroom at the full cave level that Josef Spanyol, who was a cave instructor with 2500 exploration dives with the EKPP, laughed when I told him we were going in there for his final Cave IT dive. He came out impressed saying, "I want to take that place back to Budapest!" In IT class, I placed him in a situation where I was an OOG student stuck and entangled while he was entangled. He had to cut the guideline, rescue me, then we had to find our outbound line. Once we found it by tying into the existing line end and a rock, we paused to tie into the line. That's when the lights went out. Good times!
7) For cave instructors, I run a line through the catacombs at Ginnie. I attach the larger line arrows saying things like, "Modified flutter," "S-Drill," "Backward Kick 6 Kicks," etc. They enter the cave and run the gauntlet. They have to perform the skills on the arrows without leaving any silt while I throw extra stuff at them.
8) I love teaching this stuff!
1) I want my students to be able to identify their arrows, cookies, spools, reels, bottles, regs, scooters, etc., by feel.
2) In cavern/intro I like the students to pin their primary reel by adding a line arrow. This gives them practice placing & removing navigation markers, identifies their reel, and gives the cave community a "heads up" that the line was run by a student so they don't race home to complain on CDF.
3) I created a simpler line repair procedure that can be performed by one person by tying loops into each end of a cut line and bridging the gap using a line arrow. The hooks on the arrows hook the loops for a temporary continuous guideline which can be repaired later.
4) PSAI standards allow for each of the four basic cave levels to be taken as individual courses or to run all the classes together as a "Complete Overhead Diver Training" program. If taken traditionally, 3 cavern dives + 1 OW make up the cavern course, 4 cave dives at Intro, 4 cave dives at Apprentice, 6 cave dives at Full Cave. If done as one complete course a minimum of 3 cavern + 12 cave dives are required.
5) The use of one deco gas is allowed at Apprentice. Since PSAI has a Cave Deco course, I prefer teaching with deco gas during that course and sticking to back gas during basic training if the diver hasn't had prior deco training. The PSAI Cave Deco course was created to provide cave divers with essential advanced nitrox training for decompression diving, but without the need to achieve depth like most advanced nitrox programs. In other words, "No. We don't need to take you into Lower Orange or Eagle's Nest to teach you how to switch to oxygen and deco on ledges and logs or by hovering in places like Ginnie and Little River."
6) The Ballroom is such an effective classroom at the full cave level that Josef Spanyol, who was a cave instructor with 2500 exploration dives with the EKPP, laughed when I told him we were going in there for his final Cave IT dive. He came out impressed saying, "I want to take that place back to Budapest!" In IT class, I placed him in a situation where I was an OOG student stuck and entangled while he was entangled. He had to cut the guideline, rescue me, then we had to find our outbound line. Once we found it by tying into the existing line end and a rock, we paused to tie into the line. That's when the lights went out. Good times!
7) For cave instructors, I run a line through the catacombs at Ginnie. I attach the larger line arrows saying things like, "Modified flutter," "S-Drill," "Backward Kick 6 Kicks," etc. They enter the cave and run the gauntlet. They have to perform the skills on the arrows without leaving any silt while I throw extra stuff at them.
8) I love teaching this stuff!
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