Cave Diving Fact Find

[JamaicanMon]

Hi All,

I recently had an interest peak in Cave Diving but realizing that I know nothing about this and I truly mean nothing so I thought I would ask here.

Basically, I am on an information find to see if this is something I want to really jump into. So I guess I would start with the basic questions.

- What kind of training do I already need before cave diving?
- What kind of gas mixes am I looking at?
- What special equipment am I going to need? (If anyone is willing to share...whats the cost???)
- Do I need doubles ? ( I am under the assumption I do )
- Are there any caves in Canada to go diving?
- Are there any instructors in Ontario for Cave Diving?

I can't think of anything else at the moment but I'm sure someone will pick-up on a question I didn't ask.

Thanks!

 

[ucfdiver]

- What kind of training do I already need before cave diving?
Cave diving will require that you take at least an intro to cave or cave 1 class.
- What kind of gas mixes am I looking at?
Whatever is appropriate for the depth. 32% should be fine for most FL/Mexico caves with the exception of ones like Indian, Eagles Nest, Dipolar, etc.
- What special equipment am I going to need? (If anyone is willing to share...whats the cost???)
Most consider a DIR/HOG rig to be an excellent setup, at least for a starting point.
Equipment Configuration | Global Underwater Explorers
- Do I need doubles ? ( I am under the assumption I do )
NACD/NSS-CDS Intro to cave can be done in a single tank with an H valve, however many instructors are urging doubles even at this level these days.
- Are there any caves in Canada to go diving?
No idea.
- Are there any instructors in Ontario for Cave Diving?
No idea.

Just curious, why do you want to cave dive if you know nothing about it? It's a heck of an investment in time practicing skills, as well as money.

 

[cavediver08]

Hi All,

I recently had an interest peak in Cave Diving but realizing that I know nothing about this and I truly mean nothing so I thought I would ask here.

Basically, I am on an information find to see if this is something I want to really jump into. So I guess I would start with the basic questions.

- What kind of training do I already need before cave diving?
- What kind of gas mixes am I looking at?
- What special equipment am I going to need? (If anyone is willing to share...whats the cost???)
- Do I need doubles ? ( I am under the assumption I do )
- Are there any caves in Canada to go diving?
- Are there any instructors in Ontario for Cave Diving?

I can't think of anything else at the moment but I'm sure someone will pick-up on a question I didn't ask.

Thanks!

Hello!

I would highly recommend visiting a few websites that have a wealth of information on them:

National Association For Cave Diving
Cave Diving Section of the National Speleological Society
Cave Diving Website
Global Underwater Explorers | Global Underwater Explorers

- What kind of training do I already need before cave diving?
Training for cave diving starts at the Cavern level where you will learn basic procedures for laying line, touch and light communication, conservation, cave awareness, etc... After that is your Intro/Basic Cave Course or in the GUE's case Cave 1... There are a number of different agencies that teach cave diving and you should research all to see which you would be interested in. Nonetheless, you will need ATLEAST your Intro to Cave Class or Basic Cave Class before you can penetrate beyond the field of daylight in a cave, and again Cavern is the prerequisite.
-Cavern
-Intro/Basic Cave
-Apprentice Cave
-Full Cave

- What kind of gas mixes am I looking at?
A nitrox class is sufficient for you starter classes and it will not be until later (Apprentice/Full) that you will start utilizing mixes above 40%. Trimix is not utilized except for deep dives, which I cannot advise you much on; as I am not Trimix trained.

- What special equipment am I going to need? (If anyone is willing to share...whats the cost???
If you are not already diving in a backplate and wing, which I assume you are not, this will be your standard in the cave industry. Check out brands like Dive Rite, Halcyon, DSS, etc... Costs will vary from brand to brand.
Dive Rite Express
caveadventurers.com - Home
Tech Diving Limited, a subsidiary of Scuba Training and Technology Inc.
and a number of others I am sure people will list.
This is not a cheap sport and expect to spend few thousand dollars on it if you plan on going all the way!

- Do I need doubles ? ( I am under the assumption I do )
For Cavern and Intro to cave you will not need double cylinders, all though you may elect to do so with the discretion of your instructor. Apprentice and Full cave you will be required to have doubles.

- Are there any caves in Canada to go diving?
- Are there any instructors in Ontario for Cave Diving?
I cannot answer either of these... But check on the NACD, NSS-CDS, and GUE website for instructors in the Ontario area. I do not know of any cave systems in Canada, but there may be some! =)~

 

[TSandM]

If you are curious about cave diving, I'd highly recommend taking a vacation trip to Mexico and doing some cenote tours. They'll give you a little taste of what the overhead is like, and you can see if it's something that intrigues you.

Cave diving requires a very high degree of skill, and a lot of poise in the water. If you are interested in seeing what I mean by that, sign up for a GUE Fundamentals class. Dan Mackey is a GUE instructor, and he's based in Ontario. This would be a very good first step, even if you subsequently decided to go with some other agency for further training. You can do Fundies in a single tank, and it will be an introduction to how high the bar is set for cave training.

I live in Seattle, which is also far from any diveable caves, and it has been my approach not to try to learn anything IN a cave that I can learn outside of one -- That meant polishing buoyancy and trim, learning non-silting propulsion, transitioning to doubles, learning to run line, and solidifying light discipline and team skills BEFORE I started training in the overhead.

Cave diving is very cool . . . There are tons of videos of caves in places all over the world which have been posted on ScubaBoard, and you can watch some of them and see if what you see captures your imagination. For me, the first real Mexican cave diving video I ever watched was it . . . From that day onward, cave diving was where I was headed.

 

[Dive-aholic]

What kind of training do I already need before cave diving?

You don't necessarily need any training before beginning your cave diving training. What you do need is great buoyancy and trim while task loaded. You should be able to handle a reel while maintaining your buoyancy in horizontal trim. Work on this.

What kind of gas mixes am I looking at?

32% nitrox is the usual mix used in North Florida, although air is acceptable. Air is the usual gas used in Mexico.

What special equipment am I going to need? (If anyone is willing to share...whats the cost???)

Doubles, decent regs with long hose set up, bp/w, dry suit (wet suit is sufficient for Mexico), primary reel, safety reel, jump reels (or spools), 10w or brighter canister light, back up lights (LED are great), back up mask...and on and on and on...

When I finish buying all my stuff, I'll let you know the cost...

Initial cost should be in the $3000-5000 USD range depending on what you get and where you get it from.

Do I need doubles ? ( I am under the assumption I do )

It's recommended, but not necessary for the basic/ intro level, but mandatory for full cave.

Are there any caves in Canada to go diving?

Yes, but they are dark, cold, and murky. They require advanced experience before you should attempt those caves. In other words, lots of trips to Florida or Mexico first.

Are there any instructors in Ontario for Cave Diving?

I know of Canadian instructors, but none of them teach in Canada (see above answer).

 

[JamaicanMon]

Hmmm...I suspect I'm in over my head once again. I think this one will be put on the back burner for now and wait a few more years before jumping into cave diving.

However, thank you all of the information! I greatly appreciate it!!

 

[LastMate]

Well if you want to get your feet wet on cave diving check out Vortex springs here in good old florida they have one of the most user friendly caves that ive seen. Now keep in mind with any diving stay within your comfert zone. How ever if your crazy like I am its a great cave to dive with little to no training. Ive logged at least 10 or so dives there and half way into the cave theres lighting installed all the way down to the bottom at 111 feet where it stops at a gate. You can go past the gate provideing proof of proper training at the dive shop they will give you a key but 111 ft in a underwater cave with no training is good enough for me. Like I said im a little crazy so dive within your limits. Check it out vortexsprings.com

 

[ianr33]

Well if you want to get your feet wet on cave diving check out Vortex springs here in good old florida they have one of the most user friendly caves that ive seen. Now keep in mind with any diving stay within your comfert zone. How ever if your crazy like I am its a great cave to dive with little to no training. Ive logged at least 10 or so dives there and half way into the cave theres lighting installed all the way down to the bottom at 111 feet where it stops at a gate. You can go past the gate provideing proof of proper training at the dive shop they will give you a key but 111 ft in a underwater cave with no training is good enough for me. Like I said im a little crazy so dive within your limits. Check it out vortexsprings.com

LastMate, Please read this thread:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ac...d-school-sink-aka-waynes-world-hudson-fl.html

You are an accident waiting to happen

 

[deepdiver4]

lastmate yes please read you should not be in their period.... overhead diving takes great skill and mind set just because their is lighting installed a guideline a grate dont mean it is a easy dive..

 

[LastMate]

well theres alot of things in life you shouldnt do period like riding a wheelie 6 miles at 70 MPH. or stunt riding in the middle of traffic. But when god says your a dumb ass and takes my life for being an idiot I can look back and know I did have the chance to live. Same thing behind why jump out of a perfectly good airplane? Thanks for your concern and YES by all means TRAINING IS VERY IMPORTANT and you should follow the rules. but thats why you have people that can look back and say yup I did that and others that say No thanks I need a book to teach me what I need to know. Keeping in mind I may be a little crazy but I always dive in numbers. Thats my safety net if I should fall. Im sorry though if I miss lead anyone ill keep my illegal scuba adventures to my self.