TN. Cave Diving

[beachdivequeenbelam]

Are there anyone on the board that is from Tennessee and if so are you already a cave diver and if not are you going to become a cave diver. Im looking for someone close to take the course with to cut down on the cost if done by myself it will cost twice the price of two people. I would like to have someone from the TN area to do the course with that way I'll have someone in the area to cave dive with.

I want to become a Cave diver and I live in Nashville, TN
Send me a PM and let me know what the details are?

 

[beachdivequeenbelam]

That is kind of funny now that I read your post again. My wife loves to dive but does not wont to cave dive, which is fine with me I dont wont her to do it just because of me. You can never have to many dive buddies right.

Jeff

My hubby doesn't want to cave dive either. He loves diving wither. I was in the ARmy for 4 years and I undersatnd being sent off. I was sent to Korea for a year myself as my 1st tour of duty. I'll be here and I am still willing to take the classes with you.Just let me know.

Bridget

 

[Keysdrifter454]

I was wondering if anyone has any information on cave diving in the T.A.G area. Tennessee, Alabama, Georga area. I would love to dive these caves.

This is the only real diveshop in East Tennessee:

http://www.rheas.mbdc.net/

The can answer all your cave questions, fill all your cave diving needs.

 

[Keysdrifter454]

Roguediver,

I live in the Knoxville area. There is a dive shop close by in Maryville, Rhea's Diving who offers a cave class. Alan, the owner says there are divable caves all over this area. They offer the cave class by getting a group together to go to FL to the GUE place. He was saying he is in the process of switching over his technical classes to it...

peace.

As usual, I should have read the thread first.

I'm a Rhea's regular from Gatlinburg.

 

[Keysdrifter454]

weezle


thanks man I think i have there web site. I also think that the guy who started Rheas scuba lives in florida now and is an instructor for gue David Rhea is his name i think. But thanks for the information.

:sharky:

Alan Williams is the current owner, David still teached GUE courses through the store.

 

[Keysdrifter454]

My hubby doesn't want to cave dive either. He loves diving wither. I was in the ARmy for 4 years and I undersatnd being sent off. I was sent to Korea for a year myself as my 1st tour of duty. I'll be here and I am still willing to take the classes with you.Just let me know.

Bridget

Check out Rhea's Diving, and cave classes with David.

He teaches GUE, but last I knew he teaches other agencies as well.

David has the unique advantage of having a residence in cave country, and charges minimal room and board during class.

Makes the whole thing more palatable.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Forest Willson has a group that's actively involved with cave exploration in that area. He has a board for sump divers too. I don't have the url handy but you'll see it mentioned if you poke arounf on cavediver.net. There are also some trip trports of some of theor dives posted there.

Most of the cave diving in that are is sump diving. That means diving sidemount and you'll be combining dry caving (even rope work) with cave diving. Vis is bad and few do it for the diving. They do it simply to get past the sump and explore the dry cave on the other side.

I doubt you'll find a dive shop any where that will be of much help getting into this and I'm not aware of any cave instructors who teach in those conditions and very few who teach anything remotely related to that type of diving.

 

[Curt Bowen]

I have done a little cave diving in TN. TN caves are difficult, cold water, bad vis, deep, and those we did required sidemount techniques.

But I would like to go back and look for more.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I have done a little cave diving in TN. TN caves are difficult, cold water, bad vis, deep, and those we did required sidemount techniques.

But I would like to go back and look for more.

Deep?

I did a little (very little) diving in Kentucky and I think I was runner up for a while for the Kentucky cave diving depth record with an incredible max depth of 12 ft.

however, I'ver since been informed of depths well in excess of 20 ft being reached taking me out of the running. LOL

My wife and I did do one dive where we actually had a little bit of vis...well, we could see each other anyway. Then I touched a rock to tie a line off and we were in the dark. Of course a rock good enough to tie to is rare in itself with doggie stakes being the tie-off of choice. Our max depth on that dive was 9 ft so it was no help in the persuit of a depth record.

 

[MikeFerrara]

BTW, that last dive was pretty easy...

Once we got our gear down the mountain, accross the lake and up the other mountain using ropes. LOL