Question Cave 2 or sidemount full cave?

[rjack321]

I would finish with Cave2 and check that "full cave + stages + survey" knowledge and experience box.

I would not try to get up to speed in SM while on a full cave course. You can come back to complex and or small cave dives in SM at a later date.

 

[caveandreas]

If you already are a cave1 diver that normally dives CCR and have no desire of diving sidemount when not diving caves i think you should continue with a cave2 class. Full cave classes are ofc different depending on agency and instructors, but I don't think it is very usual to include the use of stages and basic survey on a full cave class. At least it does not seem to be the norm around here.

As a cave1 diver the step up to what you can do on a cave2 level is enormous. Being able to bring 2 stages and a deco bottle into the cave will increase your range and options ALOT more than a slightly lower profile.

I more or less only dive sidemount but with a GUE background, and I do absolutely consider sidemount an advanced tool that can get you in more trouble than your normal rig, so a it more than some experience is probably not a bad idea. That is if you start using your sidemount equipment to their limits instead of diving it only in BM caves. So time on a Cave 2 level is not at all wasted if you want to be able to traverse even smaller restrictions later.

If diving SM only in BM caves you're left with the "its lighter to carry to the water" argument. But in my experience if it is any distance to walk to the cave entrance i would 9 out of 10 times put two SM cylinders in a Kubi bag and carry them on my back to the entrance. Pretty much as a set of doubles. Carry one and one over my shoulder is a lot less efficient and is almost as tiring as bagging two of them.

Also sidemount do require a bit of fine tuning so if you will not be diving it regularly you might end up not getting it 100% nailed down.

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

Thanks everyone for their thoughts, Cave 2 it is .

I think will probably dabble in sidemount eventually but I think I will end up with something fairly specialised like 2x7.

(stolen from the @thedivepoet)

 

[billgraham]

What are your thoughts on GUE Cave 2 vs. doing a full cave/staged cave with a good sidemount instructor?

I did Cave 1 as I was diving OC backmount at that point, but right now I mostly dive my JJ (stock, not the GUE fridge) in the ocean and won’t go back to OC backmount anytime soon - so there is no gear or skill commonality anymore between my wreck and cave diving. Which makes me wonder if it’s sensible to stay on the GUE path or not.

My thoughts:

• I really enjoyed the GUE approach but I’m mostly diving with non-GUE divers with different protocols anyway. All of my non-overhead training is TDI/IANTD.
• Sidemount is nicer in some tighter caves.
• Sidemount is significantly easier to carry into a cave or mine as you can carry individual tanks. Some local sites are simply not accessible in backmount at all, unless you are built like George Irvine, and I have a sports injury. One of my recent dives left me sore for 3 days…
• I never did any overhead in sidemount but have open water training, so I would need some practice and setup before any overhead diving.
• Most of my diving is CCR wreck diving. I dive caves or mines for a week once or twice per year, with an occasional weekend.
• At some point, I might look into bringing my JJ into mines but I’m not quite there yet. I’m probably not looking to buy a cave-specific unit such as Kiss/Fathom Gemini as I won’t be able to stay proficient on it.
• I can dive CCR for a year, then pick up my twinset, practice for a day in a quarry and still be OK. I’m not sure it would be so easy with a sidemount.
• I would rather stop diving than dive sidemount from a boat.

Any thought on what might be better for someone in my situation?

Talk to Edd about this. He is probably your best source of advice on this question.

 

[Hart Divers International]

I think a good rule of thumb is to remember SM is a tool that you can add to your toolbox. Your initial training is from GUE with Cave-1, so moving into Cave-2 will give you all of the added benefits and experience you need to continue your journey enjoying wet rocks. I just finished C2, and the entire class was a blast. I am thankful I continue to chose GUE for all of my technical training, as their method tends to make the most sense for me. In addition, I dive with mixed teams all of the time, and it has yet to be an issue. At the C2 level, you will have a grasp on the types of divers you want to cave dive with moving forward.