Advice for Cave DPV instruction

[grantmac]

By hooking onto their front scooter dring your scooter rides tighter up against them and creates a shorter distance if you air share. And I think if you poll 100 cave divers 50% of them cant reach their butt dring

Might be that I'm in sidemount but I can reach all the rings. Also think if you're going to go with the clip in method you can either go with a longer leash to clip to the front or attach your boltsnap on the top of your scooter for towing from to rear.

 

[kensuf]

This method is widely acceptable/used/taught.

The concern is that you are holding on tight, muscles flexed possibly varying/restricting normal blood circulation and asking for a bends hit especially if deep for a long tow.

Jim, you know my stance. For others, if you're deep enough that you're concerned about getting bent, you probably should have a backup scooter.

 

[ofg-1]

Back in the stone age when we had Farallons and Teknas only, the rule was if a scooter dies, you leave it. When a stage is empty, you leave it. You don't take anything you don't need to get to the exit.

Get a tow scooter for longer dives. I was told to grab the crotch strap or the lead divers legs to tow out.

 

[mr_v]

@LFMarm - I am split on whether open water DPV experience will significantly contribute to your DPV cave diving skills. Diving high flow caves with hard ceilings and soft floors in close proximity is unlike diving open water.

However, you have to know the scooter well so that you can adjust speed, change hands (if needed), and seamlessly operate other equipment while on the trigger. You also should know how to maneuver scooter in tight places, maintain neutral buoyancy as you change depth, etc. It is possible to learn these skills in open water provided that someone teaches the skills that are transferrable to cave. Swimming on a low-to-moderate speed in open water at constant depth will not significantly improve your cave DPV skills.

A good instructor will review multiple options with you so diving in different caves or with various teams won't be an issue. E.g., my instructor taught all the options mentioned in this thread.

 

[jadairiii]

Cave diving friends, as a goal for next 24 months, I would like to get trained on DPVs and would like to ask for your advice on how to approach it.

Context. I have used DPVs in open water twice but do not have formal training. My goal is to be able to use DPVs in all environments – open water, cave, wreck. I will have the option to train either in Florida or Mexico.

Questions:

• Should I get formal training in sea open water before seeking for training in caves or can start with caves right away?
• Given the significant difference between caves in Florida and Mexico, is it sufficient to train in one area to be able to dive both? If not, which one would you train in first?

I realize that there is not only one way of doing this but I am very curious to hear opinions of those who have gone through this process. Many thanks!

To get back on topic. IMHO, get as much time on the "trigger" as possible in open water and in wrecks. Before ever even considering cave diving, I did a bunch of scooter diving in the ocean, off the beach, lobstering, deep, and wrecks. Want to get proficient with a scooter? Go lobster diving with one, dealing with the flag, the scooter, your "capture tools" and the lobster bag, you get smooth quick!

Scootering through wrecks or lobstering with a scooter (properly) is a lot harder, in my opinion, then scootering in caves anyway.

 

[happy-diver]