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Not agency standards, but something I insist on for my classes. I am in the fortunate position to own the dive shop I work at, so can prioritise safety and quality training. One of my other red lines is no more than 3 students per instructor, regardless of course. Last year we had an OW course...

I would hate to teach a cave or tech course without unannounced failures. Poor quality, low level training generally consists of pre-announced drills that are done for a finite amount of time. A better and more effective training method is scenario-based, where the team goes diving and has to...

Time on the trigger is very valuable before taking a scooter in the cave, and learning the mechanics of scooter failures, communications, tows etc before a cave class is a very good idea. My (rather than agency) prerequisites for a Cave DPV class are a Tech DPV cert (or equivalent OW DPV...

I think we are agreeing, with the exception of one quick attempt to disconnect before isolating the right post. You will then be able to disconnect in slow time and turn the right post back on. This is the doubles protocol, but similar procedures in SM.

Cave Camp on Tour - Mine and Wreck Diving at Bell Island Cave Camp is teaming up with our friends at Ocean Quest to give divers a rare opportunity to visit one of the world’s most iconic flooded mines, as well as dive some amazing WW2 wrecks. Maximum capacity is just 12 divers per week. Bell...

It is always sad when a fellow diver loses their life, and when looking at accident analysis it is important to do so respectfully. One approach that I use with CCR and cave students is to look at an incident and analyse whether your protocols and procedures would have resulted in the same...

The main advantage of the 6/12 position tow cord position vs the 3/9 is that it allows you to adjust buoyancy without coming off the trigger. If the lower part of the cord is tighter, then the scooter is trying to pull you up, so you are heavy. If the upper part of the cord is tight, it is...

Now that there are large numbers of guides signing up to follow the rules in the manual, there is a plan to introduce a logo/badge that shows who will be following the rules. We have just kicked off the process to elect a new line and safety committee for 2024-2026, so this will be something for...

It sounds like both your guide and the guide of the diver who had the incident took divers off the line into the air dome, which is against the rules and puts divers in danger. This sort of behaviour is not unusual, and the local line and safety committee have published very specific guidance on...

Different instructors have different philosophies. The minimum agency standards, and what many teach, is pretty much an OC cave class where you happen to be wearing a rebreather. Personally, I think CCR cave should be about using the rebreather to extend range (otherwise what is the point), so a...

The Cave Camp 2022 magazine is available for free at this link: Cave Camp Magazine We have gathered some great articles this year, including: An exciting find in Wookey Hole from Rob Franklin A warm welcome from Nick Lyon Thoughts on Transmitters vs Gauges from Natalie Gibb A great article...

As part of this year's Cave Camp event, we have created this magazine with over 80 pages of interesting articles and great diving images. Thanks to contributors Phil Short, Michael Menduno, Gareth Lock, Nick Lyon, Lanny Vogel, Vincent Rouquette-cathala and Tom St George. Cave Camp 2021 Magazine

Adding an in-line shut off to a stage cylinder is solving a problem that is easily fixable by other means, and introduces a number of more serious issues and failure points. I don't know of any reputable tech or cave instructor who would advocate this. I have seen dislodged stage regulators a...

I like to teach all classes neutrally buoyant. It makes for a much better diver, but a lot of class structures and accepted practices within the industry are not designed to make it work. Some thoughts: - Never allow students to kneel as it promotes an upright position as the muscle memory...

I have just finished the book, and thought it did a pretty good job of distilling a fairly complex event with a lot of conflicting views into a reasonably concise account. Thank you Robert. In case there is a second edition, the issues that I thought were not covered and made me question the...

A new set of rules has been introduced for Cave Training Sites in Quintana Roo. This was democratically approved by the community of cave instructors via the Virtual Line Committee, with over 80% being in favour of the new rules. It has also been endorsed by all major training agencies that...

I encourage all my students to read the book before class, and think that the introduction of Human Factors is the biggest game changer in the industry in the last 10 years. $40 spent on the book is about as good as it gets in terms of "bang for your buck" to make you a better and safer diver.

I really feel for you - your dilemma is a perfect example of what is wrong with the industry. Business owners will very often prioritise $$$ over training quality and will compromise safety and/or turn out poor divers as a result. Personally, I refuse to teach an OW course in less than 4 days...

Nice to see so many ex and serving military Scubaboard members! Royal Navy 1993-2014 Commander Service in Submarines, Frigates, Aircraft Carriers, Iraq and Afghanistan (3 tours)

I am very much in the "it depends on the dive" camp. The cave courses I have taught so far this year have been about 50/50 backmount and sidemount. For my own diving, I will pick the best tool for the job - Backmount, Sidemount or CCR. Even here in Mexico where Sidemount is very popular...