End of 2019 and thoughts for 2020
- Thread starter CAPTAIN SINBAD
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2019: Did my cavern, Tech Sidemount, and NSS Basics, going to finish my Apprentice Cave next weekend, and PADI Solo early Dec
2020: Want to get AN/DP done in open water, take a trip to Mexico for some cave diving, and maybe do my full cave.
2020: Want to get AN/DP done in open water, take a trip to Mexico for some cave diving, and maybe do my full cave.
Another year of seemingly endlessly trying to hone skills like shooting an SMB while hovering precisely at 20 ft in perfect trim?
That's what I wrote in the 2018 end-of-year thread. I was kind of despondent when I wrote it because I had hit a plateau in my training. But I reassessed my goals and took a different tack, and 2020 is looking bright!
Since mid-2016 my goal had been to learn to cave dive. I had acquired the doubles, the drysuit, the primary light, and all that goes along with that, and had taken a doubles/drysuit course. I was diving GUE style because I had taken Fundies a couple of years earlier--before any notion of tech/cave diving got into my head--and so it seemed natural to continue with GUE, go for the tech upgrade to my Fundies pass, and then on to GUE's Cave 1 course. It sounded so, um, do-able. I devoted many hours in 2016, 2017 and 2018 to honing my skills to what GUE considers tech level. I kept a special log book devoted to this training and logged about 80 hours in total, including one or two days of coaching each year from a GUE instructor. Each time, the instructor would tell me I'm a little closer ... but not quite there yet. So last December when I posted my comment above, I was feeling discouraged. I was decidedly NOT looking forward to more of the same, yet felt resigned to it. Ever forward, no matter how slowly, right? Tedious sessions in shallow water, doing S-drills, valve drills, staged ascents, frog kick, flutter kick, back kick, over and over and over, selfies with the GoPro and critiquing every nuance. While there are a lake and quarry in local driving distance, in the winter these practice sessions meant weekend road trips to FL. The path I had chosen was not just difficult but also really expensive, with travel expenses and fills. I tortured myself with a nerdy mental image of a plot of my skills asymptotically approaching GUE tech level--meaning I would never actually reach that level, just get ever closer.
In the debriefing at a coaching session in early 2019, I learned I was closer than ever. Go figure. But this time it sounded different--maybe I really was actually within striking distance? All I needed to do, I was advised, was practice a teensy bit more, then schedule an evaluation with an instructor (but maybe with a little coaching the day before), then acquire larger tanks and a larger wing and, IF I were to earn the tech upgrade, I would be allowed to pay the $2k-3k fee for Cave 1. I have been writing this in the first person out of laziness, but the reality is that my wife has been on this journey with me. Together, we were probably spending over $5k a year on this. Household finances in general had been strained for various reasons in recent years, and now in our minds we tallied up how much more we would have to spend before we were past Cave 1. It was at that point that we decided to take a step back and regroup. Take a different tack.
In July we took an Intro-to-Cave course with a well-known instructor. It was the best decision in our diving that we had ever made (except maybe for the initial Fundies course). We did well and are now actually out there enjoying diving again--intro-level cave diving, that is. Our plans at the moment are to just keep diving and free our brains of thoughts of further training. There is enough intro-level cave diving in N. FL to keep us busy for years if we should feel like taking that long. And it's so economical compared with ocean diving! We also have a Mexico cave diving trip planned for January--not especially economical, but we are REALLY looking forward to it.
Love your focused approach and single-minded commitment. I, for, one wouldn't put a penny on you not achieving your 2020 goals. Period
Thank you. Actually just officially signed up for AN/DP/Helitrox today. Instructor and I have pool and classroom time scheduled for January and February.
Captain Bravo
Registered
2019 was a great year for me and my girlfriend. I purchased my own equipment and got to dive with it on three trips. Did my Advanced Ow in August, did my first night dive, then Rescue Diver in September, Nitrox last week, and Deep diver will be next week (November 15-22) in Cozumel. 2019 is also the year I realized how lucky I was to visit these wonderful dive sites, to see such beautiful sealife, and I will be going next week with the sadness of knowing that this wonderful reef might be gone for good soon.
2020 Might be the year my girlfriend and I try another destination. We love Cozumel and have made lifelong friends there, but some other destinations have piqued our curiosity. I would also like to wreck dive at least once. I also might be tempted to either purchase an expensive computer that's easily readable (I need reading glasses), or I might get laser surgery to solve the problem.
2020 Might be the year my girlfriend and I try another destination. We love Cozumel and have made lifelong friends there, but some other destinations have piqued our curiosity. I would also like to wreck dive at least once. I also might be tempted to either purchase an expensive computer that's easily readable (I need reading glasses), or I might get laser surgery to solve the problem.
You’re Canadian so the wreck diving needs to be done in Tobermory!
jonhall
Contributor
2019 - was able to dive in:
Costa Rica in Jan.
Kauai in April (on same trip which also took us to Oahu, I learned, set up the dive op myself - and not let my buddy do it - as the only day we were able to dive, his handpicked op cancelled on us)
Big Island in Oct./Nov. - first time diving off a RIB
2020 - limited diving this year
Caribbean cruise in Jan. Will be first time planning/doing at least one day of diving from a cruise ship
Grand Cayman - only real trip with diving
Florida - no diving unless it's spending a bundle to dive at Disney!
Alaska land/cruise tour - I entertained the possibility of an excursion of a dive with a dry suit, but brrrrr!
Nothing else planned until 2021 unless I can talk my better half into a November trip.
Costa Rica in Jan.
Kauai in April (on same trip which also took us to Oahu, I learned, set up the dive op myself - and not let my buddy do it - as the only day we were able to dive, his handpicked op cancelled on us)
Big Island in Oct./Nov. - first time diving off a RIB
2020 - limited diving this year
Caribbean cruise in Jan. Will be first time planning/doing at least one day of diving from a cruise ship
Grand Cayman - only real trip with diving
Florida - no diving unless it's spending a bundle to dive at Disney!
Alaska land/cruise tour - I entertained the possibility of an excursion of a dive with a dry suit, but brrrrr!
Nothing else planned until 2021 unless I can talk my better half into a November trip.
Captain Bravo
Registered
We spent two weeks at God's Pocket in March/April. When we got home we had a week or two of nice conditions at home before the Spring plankton bloom arrived. It's November and it's still green and dirty around here.
We're going to the Galapagos in January and back to God's Pocket in March for another two weeks of cold paradise. I'm hoping next year will be better locally.
We're going to the Galapagos in January and back to God's Pocket in March for another two weeks of cold paradise. I'm hoping next year will be better locally.
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