The Grand Traverse in Peacock Springs.
- Thread starter The Chairman
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There is no need to "verify" this traverse. It's shallow. With a single stage I have no issues reaching one side from the other before hitting thirds. Unless you want to do visual jumps, you will need to do a cleanup dive, which is why I like to do it both ways in one dive. Surface for 15 minutes then turn around and swim back. As I said, with a single 80 and high pressure 120's it's not a problem, but I like to do it with two 80's. The last time I did it as a double stage, I exited after swimming both ways, or over 8000 feet of cave, slightly under my turn pressure on each bottle. I prefer to carry extra gas in no flow caves because thirds in a no flow system is almost suicidally dangerous
Of course, if you can't reach one side from the other before hitting thirds, then you'll need to drop a cookie and come at it from the other side.
I don't believe NAUI Cave I allows the use of stage cylinders.
I don't think anybody prohibits swimming from one open water area to another, if you can do it within your penetration gas limits. We did those on 6ths in MX, as Cave 1 divers. We surfaced (always running a line, and dropping markers if appropriate) and then went back down and went home. I don't think it's technically a "traverse" unless you can't get from one point to the other on thirds.
I wish I could keep you company, Pete! In the four trips I have made to Florida, I have YET to dive Peacock (except for one dive in upper Orange Grove).
I wish I could keep you company, Pete! In the four trips I have made to Florida, I have YET to dive Peacock (except for one dive in upper Orange Grove).
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This is true ... but OG to P1 is about 3700 feet, if I remember correctly. I'm sure I couldn't do it on thirds ... and I'm pretty good on gas. Although I've used stages on several OW deep dives, I'm not trained to use one in a cave ... and won't until I am. Therefore for me, this dive would have to be verified before I attempted it.
Orange Grove is the prettier side of this system, to my concern. The P1 side has some interesting sections ... the second half of the trip to Olson, for example ... but the Peanut tunnel's fairly beat up, and Cistine is one of the darker, "dustier" passages I've done down there (granted my very limited exposure ... but I did manage a significant chunk of the Peacock system).
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
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The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
I's 4400 ft Bob. It's 1800 to Challenge from OG and 1900 to the Peanut restriction from P1. About 700 feet separate the two.
Stage use is a whole nother can of worms.
What exactly about stage use really requires teaching? You learn how to read an SPG, switch regulators, and calculate turn pressures in open water class.
Naui Cave 1 does require students to carry a "bailout bottle" I think, but I think it can be dropped on the line whenever. I'm not sure about this, if someone else cares to comment I'm all ears. In other words, what I'm saying is while NAUI Cave 1 might not allow stage bottles, it does apparently have divers practice the only difficult part that isn't learned in open water, which is clipping and unclipping. Everything else about a stage bottle is something a diver should have a grasp of after open water, and certainly after completing a technical diving course such as cave 1.
My understanding is that stage diving classes tend to focus on making sure a diver understands the two methods of calculating thirds, and the benefits of either one, and then making sure a diver can handle the bottles well in the water. Am i missing something here?
Also, can we get a definition of traverse? Is it a traverse if you can go between them on thirds?
Just to be clear, I DO NOT condone diving beyond limits, I just appreciate a healthy discussion about training and why we do what we do
What exactly about stage use really requires teaching? You learn how to read an SPG, switch regulators, and calculate turn pressures in open water class.
Naui Cave 1 does require students to carry a "bailout bottle" I think, but I think it can be dropped on the line whenever. I'm not sure about this, if someone else cares to comment I'm all ears. In other words, what I'm saying is while NAUI Cave 1 might not allow stage bottles, it does apparently have divers practice the only difficult part that isn't learned in open water, which is clipping and unclipping. Everything else about a stage bottle is something a diver should have a grasp of after open water, and certainly after completing a technical diving course such as cave 1.
My understanding is that stage diving classes tend to focus on making sure a diver understands the two methods of calculating thirds, and the benefits of either one, and then making sure a diver can handle the bottles well in the water. Am i missing something here?
Also, can we get a definition of traverse? Is it a traverse if you can go between them on thirds?
Just to be clear, I DO NOT condone diving beyond limits, I just appreciate a healthy discussion about training and why we do what we do
Hmm . . . 4400 feet, at 50 fpm, is 88 minutes. Call the depth 3 ATA; at my swimming SAC, I'd need to be diving double LP120s to carry enough gas to do that on thirds. Ugh!
Yeah, the stage portion of my Cave 2 class consisted of how to calculate backgas reserves for stage use, a discussion of how little extra gas an Al80 buys you (especially given the decrement in swimming speed that comes with carrying it) and practice dropping and picking up stages (as well as a discussion of how to choose a site to do it). We also talked about emergency procedures while using stages, including never putting an OOG diver through a restriction on a stage. As with so many things in cave diving, the classroom part was done fairly quickly, and what was more worthwhile was the actual practice.
LiteHedded
Contributor
pretty sure naui cave 1 doesn't require a bailout bottle. I think aj took one of those classes many moons ago. maybe he'll chime in
I think it usually takes me about 90 minutes each way. Considering how easy it is to do a 90+ minute dive at Ginnie, where you are dealing with high flow and greater depths, I don't see it has a huge problem.
If you go via olson, you surface at one more sinkhole allowing you the ability to recalculate thirds if that's your thing, but it also is a longer swim. I've done it both ways and enjoyed it tons both ways. Peacock is beautiful and you really notice how much it changes as you swim through it. I actually prefer the huge cavernous tunnels on the Peacock side to the fairly simple tunnels on the OG side, but it's all absolutely beautiful cave. Looking forward to going back next weekend
If you go via olson, you surface at one more sinkhole allowing you the ability to recalculate thirds if that's your thing, but it also is a longer swim. I've done it both ways and enjoyed it tons both ways. Peacock is beautiful and you really notice how much it changes as you swim through it. I actually prefer the huge cavernous tunnels on the Peacock side to the fairly simple tunnels on the OG side, but it's all absolutely beautiful cave. Looking forward to going back next weekend
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