back in the saddle ...

[TSandM]

I APOLOGIZE for using the word deadly . . . I've already admitted it was a bit of hyperbole, born of a late night, a bit of wine, and a lot of empathy.

I'm sure there are lots of people who can function adequately (and I will NOT agree that they're functioning WELL) at 95 feet in Ginnie, fighting flow. I can't, and it sounds as though Bob is having some issues with it as well. From talking to Rob and Allison, they did much better on 30/30 (which was, after all, primarily designed for Ginnie). I don't think there is anything wimpy or shameful about admitting that I can't think well at 100 feet on Nitrox, and DOING something about it. What's shameful is trying to dive in conditions I've already learned don't work for me, and putting my team at risk for it. What's sad is someone perhaps not passing their class, because the conditions for passing weren't optimized.

I'll admit I have a real sore spot about this.

 

[ucfdiver]

I APOLOGIZE for using the word deadly . . . I've already admitted it was a bit of hyperbole, born of a late night, a bit of wine, and a lot of empathy.

I'm sure there are lots of people who can function adequately (and I will NOT agree that they're functioning WELL) at 95 feet in Ginnie, fighting flow. I can't, and it sounds as though Bob is having some issues with it as well. From talking to Rob and Allison, they did much better on 30/30 (which was, after all, primarily designed for Ginnie). I don't think there is anything wimpy or shameful about admitting that I can't think well at 100 feet on Nitrox, and DOING something about it. What's shameful is trying to dive in conditions I've already learned don't work for me, and putting my team at risk for it. What's sad is someone perhaps not passing their class, because the conditions for passing weren't optimized.

I'll admit I have a real sore spot about this.

There's absolutely no reason to dive a gas you're uncomfortable with in a cave. Anyone who believes that they're functioning on all cylinders at 100ft on nitrox is an idiot, it clearly has some effect, and with co2 thrown into the mix, 30/30 makes a lot of sense. Cave diving issues are mostly mental, and if you start the dive with something in the back of your head that's just not a good idea, especially when it could be fixed with $50 in trimix. After you've flown cross country, rented a rental car, paid for a hotel, etc it just doesn't make sense to cut a corner off your comfort level and not enjoy the dive. If you're careful about the flow, I think you can eliminate the majority of co2 effect, and bring the impairment to a reasonable level. This has been proven for years with a reasonable safety record....but cave diving is about having fun, not just getting out alive, so from what you're describing, 30/30 is more than a safety issue, it would directly effect your enjoyment of the dive.

I don't see why you felt the need to apologize here.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I agree, dive what you need.



I disagree that telling people they need the same gas or its 'deadly'. Especially at a level with an EAD of 78', sure CO2's gonna play an effect, but not to the point where most people can't deal with just about any issue thrown at them. I just very much dislike THAT broad of a statement.

 

[karstdvr]

I APOLOGIZE for using the word deadly

Actually in retrospect when I recalled doing Ginnie with 38% or 36%,before we knew better,that was deadly. FWIW,I have used 30/30 at Ginnie,and felt the benefit was marginal,but worthy of consideration when doing extremely long bottom times.

 

[BabyDuck]

i think it sounds like you've improved quite a bit, and i hope jim thinks so, too.

actually, i didn't think you were doing badly last year, either, though time for integration & growth isn't usually a bad idea.

go get 'em, tiger!

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

go get 'em, tiger!

He did! Congrats Bob.

 

[TSandM]

Oh, congratulations, Bob! I'm so glad.

 

[boulderjohn]

Congratulations, Bob!

And thanks for having the courage to be so open about your trials and tribulations on this board. I think it does everyone a lot of good to see an accomplished diver such as yourself working through this process.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Ended class on a really good dive ... oddly (given my background) I think it boiled down to a confidence issue. Jim told me this morning to just slow it down and pay attention and I'd do fine. He was right.

We went in the Eye this morning, and setting the reel almost felt too easy. Then we got up in the ceiling, went left, and must've found all the sweet spots ... I was barely breathing hard by the time we got to the Keyhole. Jim had set up another circuit this morning ... but after we'd set the jumps, he signaled for us to pull them on the way out. Apparently he'd also told my dive buddies to try to lose me again, because they tried. But keeping "slow down" in mind, it was easy to see what was going on and correct it before it became a problem. I decided I really like the Eye for deco, and we had racked up some by the time we got done ... nearly a 90-minute dive. After we were done, Jim asked me how I felt about the dive. I said I'd felt pretty good about it, overall. He said "me too ... I'm done with you". Took a minute to register ... but honestly, I felt like a different diver than I had on yesterday's second dive.

Today's second dive was just for fun. I told my dive buddies I wanted something simple and scenic ... we ended up going up Hill 400. I really do like that part of the cave. I have no idea how far we made it ... maybe about a thousand feet ... turned on thirds and ended up doing about 80 minutes on our second dive.

Got tomorrow and Friday to just kick back and enjoy some dives now ... I think we'll hit Madison Blue and Little River.

It's been a great experience ... and in addition to all the stuff my instructor expected me to learn, I've been able to put a couple other thoughts into context ...

Slow down ... there's something I've been telling my recreational students for years. I've just been reminded of how a foreign environment can mess with someone's mind, and how that plays out in what they do. It changes your perceptions of time ... it doesn't FEEL like you're rushing things ... but once you hear and heed the advice to slow down, all the things you struggled with suddenly don't seem so hard. I can now relate this better to my own students ... from the perspective of having recently felt its effects. That's got value all on its own, especially with my first OW class in over a year coming up in a few weeks.

The other thing is about expectations. Seems like I go through this with a lot classes ... this feeling of "I KNOW I'm a better diver than that." ... as I'm making mistakes I know I just shouldn't be making. But, while skills may be transferrable from one diving environment to a different one, diving's an awful lot about how the dive FEELS ... mentally as well as physically. And no matter how experienced you are in one environment, trying something different makes you ... in a lot of ways ... a newbie again. It takes time to learn how to apply what you know in a way that makes you feel competent.

Now all I gotta do is figure out how to do this often enough to develop that competence. It ain't easy from 3,300 miles away.

Thanks, all for sharing your thoughts and wishes ... I know some folks feel you shouldn't talk about this stuff while it's happening, but ... frankly ... it was helpful.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Phreatic Fanatic]

I knew you could do it! Congratulations, Bob! ! ! ! ! !