First Dive Trip Without Instructor - Need to Rent Gear & Help Planning

[Lorenzoid]

Personally, I think they should just abandon the use of single tanks in overhead training.

That seems to be GUE's philosophy, as you probably know. GUE offers no equivalent to a cavern course. They don't let you in an overhead until you have a Fundies tech pass, which requires serious proficiency--in the full gear configuration. I've heard it said that the reasoning behind it is that "A cavern can quickly turn into a cave." Case in point is the OP's report in this thread. GUE's logic is appealing. The long road to a Cave 1 cert may not be so appealing.

 

[helodriver87]

That seems to be GUE's philosophy, as you probably know. GUE offers no equivalent to a cavern course. They don't let you in an overhead until you have a Fundies tech pass, which requires serious proficiency--in the full gear configuration. I've heard it said that the reasoning behind it is that "A cavern can quickly turn into a cave." Case in point is the OP's report in this thread. GUE's logic is appealing. The long road to a Cave 1 cert may not be so appealing.

It took me about a year and 150 dives to get from open water to cave 1, and that was diving every single weekend in cave gear. I think I maybe did a total of 30 single tank dives. The other 120 were doubles, primary light, and drysuit. Some fun dives mixed in there, but mostly skills practice. Trim/buoyancy and ascents/descents in particular. Probably a longer path than OP would like, but judging from his previous posts, it's probably the one he needs.

 

[CavernFrog]

I’m down to practice skills. I’m just getting some training up front. I’ll probably repeat some of my courses. I still committed to limiting my penetration and depth and trying to get doubles going asap. Scuba is different but I do have a long history of extreme sports participation and executing complex and dangerous tasks.

I’m committed to skills practice. I’ll even do it in a swimming pool if necessary. Where is the closest spot to Atlanta?

 

[divad]

.Where is the closest spot to Atlanta?

North or south?

 

[halocline]

I’m down to practice skills. I’m just getting some training up front. I’ll probably repeat some of my courses. I still committed to limiting my penetration and depth and trying to get doubles going asap. Scuba is different but I do have a long history of extreme sports participation and executing complex and dangerous tasks.

You have great self confidence that is based on zero experience. Always an excellent combination....Best of luck!

You say you're "still committed to limiting your penetration"; that's a good one! Still committed after your FIRST UNSUPERVISED DIVE that went into a cave zone? When did this 'commitment' that are claiming to "still have" actually begin?

Ugghh. Get some freaking experience diving in open water where you are less likely to kill yourself, or worse, someone else. Oh yeah, great idea about the doubles.....so you can venture further overheads without so much as a single unsupervised open water dive to your name.

Sorry for the rant...but you asked for it by posting this absurd crap about your so called "committment" after zero dives experience. Oops, I meant one dive, which occurred in a cave zone without cave training or equipment.

Edit: to a moderator, I realize this post is pretty harsh for the basic scuba forum, but the topic of venturing into cave systems untrained is not really "basic" any more, at least IMO. It's how most people die in caves.

 

[divad]

Sorry for the rant...

Pretty good rant.....I doubt you'll find much disagreement. . .

 

[CavernFrog]

Our PADI certified instructor who is a GOOD INSTRUCTOR took the entire open water class into a cave on our FIRST DIVE!

Some caves are more dangerous than others!

 

[divad]

Our PADI certified instructor who is a GOOD INSTRUCTOR took the entire open water class into a cave on our FIRST DIVE!

Some caves are more dangerous than others!

What's his name?

 

[Tecomah]

Yeah that's not ok

 

[CavernFrog]

It was a brief pass through between two open areas in a cenote and I felt perfectly safe the entire time and I’m not throwing my instructor under the bus.