Cave 1 drills

[JimC]

NSS-CDS changed its limits recently. They do gaps now too.
They also changed there discretionary apprentice to 1/3rds.

So, from a limits perspective:

Intro ~= Cave1
Intro w/ Discretionary Apprentice > Cave1

 

[Dan Gibson]

Only with full tanks.

The minimum gas to enter a cave for a cave 1 type dive is 100 cft. for 104s, that doesn't equate to a very high fill pressure. It's something around 1200 psi. If you go by the 1/6th rule, you only have 200 psi to enter. Unless you have a really nice fill, 500 psi is not 1/6ths. IIRC, this rule was changed back in late 2003 and was done to not over penalize the divers during the class. Typically, in a cave 1 class you may only take one set of 104s out for the day. The 1/6ths really ended the dives a little too soon on the second dives. Remember the students also spend a fair amount of gas practicing drills prior to the dives and sometimes in between the dives. It makes it very tough for the instructors to accomplish everything they would like to do when the turn pressure is only 300 psi.

500psi going in pretty much equates to 1/6ths.

 

[Dan Gibson]

Unless the info is out of date, your statement concerning discretionary apprentice does does not seem to match up with what the NSSCDS states the limits for intro or discretionary apprentice are. Discretionary also appears to have a limited time the card is good and then you have to complete apprentice or you are back to intro.

http://www.nsscds.com/training/cds 2000 forms/cdsdisappform.PDF

Even if the info on the link is outdated and your description is correct, how is discretionary apprentice limits greater than cave 1? The only thing I can figure is that true 1/3s is typically greater than 500 psi.

NSS-CDS changed its limits recently. They do gaps now too.
They also changed there discretionary apprentice to 1/3rds.

So, from a limits perspective:

Intro ~= Cave1
Intro w/ Discretionary Apprentice > Cave1

 

[Reinoud]

Good suggestion, thanks, I will start working on that.

Any other good idea's to prepare for Cave I?

D.

10 Form a team
20 train with it.
30 goto 20

";-)

Seriously: make sure you got the basics perfectly. Especially the hard ones like the blind descents.
And try all the drills slow. I dove with a guy that had just done Tech 1 some time ago, and the main comment he had on my skills was the speed. There is only one thing in an OOA situation that needs to be done quick: donating the second stage. The rest can be done a lot more slow.

Try to find someone that has a video camera (or a digital camera that can make movies) and ask him or her to make some footage of the drills you think you do perfect.

Invite divers that have completed Cave 1 (or Tech 1) and let them criticise you. (you know where to find them in the Netherlands ";-)

 

[JimC]

Unless the info is out of date, your statement concerning discretionary apprentice does does not seem to match up with what the NSSCDS states the limits for intro or discretionary apprentice are. Discretionary also appears to have a limited time the card is good and then you have to complete apprentice or you are back to intro.

http://www.nsscds.com/training/cds 2000 forms/cdsdisappform.PDF

Even if the info on the link is outdated and your description is correct, how is discretionary apprentice limits greater than cave 1? The only thing I can figure is that true 1/3s is typically greater than 500 psi.

2005 Standards: http://www.nsscdstraining.com/SnP.htm

Intro divers can do gaps and discretionary apprentice can dive to 1/3rds on doubles. That is way more than 500psi on a full set, usualy more than twice as much penetration gas.