Cavern diver certification

[Dive-aholic]

Lynne, in your first post you said nothing about a wreck workshop/class. All you said was someone who has a "fundies tech pass". But even with the wreck class included, there's still a difference. It's a lot easier finding tie offs in a wreck than in a cavern. It's also a lot easier to maintain line awareness of a 1/2 inch thick buoy/anchor lin than it is to maintain awareness of a 1/16 inch thick horizontally laid line that blends into the rock behind it. OOA drills are conducted a little differently and so are the no visibilty gas sharing drills. I also spend about a 1/3 of my class talking about the things Carl mentioned. It's that important. Finally, I introduce my cavern students to a silt out so the first time they experience it is under supervision. It's a lot different being in a silt out when your only way to the surface is in a particular direction, and that's not up.

 

[LiteHedded]

Trace's novellas about all the people he knows are fun to read but, as often happens, I think he's missed the point.

the point being: the videos are crap for demonstrating cave skills.

as a cave 3 instructor, surely you can see this?

 

[TSandM]

Rob, your introduction to siltouts is a great bonus for your classes! As you know, in none of mine did we do that, and it was an interesting experience when you showed it to us.

 

[LiteHedded]

i was silted out in my cavern class and it was an eye opener for sure

 

[Dive-aholic]

Don't you mean eye closer??

 

[rjack321]

Rob, your introduction to siltouts is a great bonus for your classes! As you know, in none of mine did we do that, and it was an interesting experience when you showed it to us.

Its done in every GUE Cave2 class I'm aware of. I suspect yours didn't get to this point. Ours was in the cross-over passage between Mayan Blue B tunnel and Death Arrow Passage and we'd also lost some lights and a post or 2 IIRC.

 

[Hagan34]

Since you are in Colorado, you may want to take a UTD Essentials course at BoulderJohn's dive center, Ocean First Scuba in Boulder, CO. You'll be properly trained in these techniques, including streamlining your equipment, valve shutdown drills, safety drills (S-Drills) involving long hose deployment, and proper DSMB deployment for open water diving.

This sounds like a great idea and thanks for all the info.

 

[TSandM]

Well, Richard, the only thing our Italian friend was asked to do to complete his C2 was to take Fundies . . . so I think we did everything we were supposed to do in the class. We just didn't do any of it very WELL

 

[PfcAJ]

Trace, you're continually confused. Stop name dropping for a second and really consider what's being said.

If you're going to make a DEMONSTRATION video, then DEMONSTRATE the skill the way it should be done. This isn't a new concept... When I went through my medical training, the cadre didn't show videos of improperly performed techniques and procedures. I wonder why...

You mention Audie Murphy teaching at a military academy. Do you think an injured soldier is the best model for demonstrating a live fire exercise that involves running and jumping? Surely not. That soldier might have ate lead and shat bullets in his day, but that doesn't make him the best at demonstrating something. Can he teach stuff? Sure. Demonstrate? Maybe not the best choice... Get someone that can.

And btw, its not even close to "perfect trim". Its 45 degree trim in a lot of them. Accomplished cave diver? Absolutely. Knowledgeable? Without a doubt. Good instructor? Perhaps, never met the guy. Do his videos show skills and techniques performed in a way that we should aspire to? Absolutely not.

 

[Fionab]

I haven't read most of the following posts, however I feel I should apologise for my rather flippant post.