Ok so what does someone have to do to go abouts getting all the training needed to be able to get cavern certified? Now I know theres a few different levels but going 100ft under a overhead just doesnt really do it for me. Im talking deep caver certified, Im looking to get all training needed to check out these underwater wonder lands. DA hooked me up with a link to his site and im looking into that. If you all know of any other good sites to get me started on the right track let me know. Thanks!!
Cave Diving Guide to getting trained
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SuPrBuGmAn
Contributor
Good friggin lord...
If you are serious about doing this, you are on the right track by getting training.
Now SLOW down, you gotta walk before you can run. No matter how badass you think you are, you have to be serious about evaluating your own skill level, and experience level. You have to learn to recognize what problems you'll face in the overhead environment, which will take experience. You'll have to know how to alleviate those problems, which will take training. You have to do all this safely, which includes buying the right equipment. You really need to take other people's evaluations of you seriously, not just shrug them off.
It doesn't take much for Cavern class. You can do cavern with pretty much everything you have for OW diving. You'll ditch the snorkel, get a 7' hose, and a reel. Its not a bad idea to go ahead and get aquainted with this gear before the class.
Then take Cavern. Soak it all in. Then dive caverns, for AWHILE. It truly will do you some good.
Get out of the attitude of faster, farther, deeper, RIGHT NOW.
Then take Intro, and stick to Intro Cave diving for awhile. There are alot of caves out there with beginnings that you haven't seen yet. No need to get to the back, when you have so many beginnings to see yet! This is where you're gonna have to start really looking at different gear setups, as your OW rig isn't gonna be ideal.
Then worry about Apprentice and Full Cave certifications. Even then, progress slowly, all these certifications are just stages to progress your learning farther. Get ready to buy even more gear, doubles are a must, deco is gonna happen, redundancy will be key.
If you are serious about doing this, you are on the right track by getting training.
Now SLOW down, you gotta walk before you can run. No matter how badass you think you are, you have to be serious about evaluating your own skill level, and experience level. You have to learn to recognize what problems you'll face in the overhead environment, which will take experience. You'll have to know how to alleviate those problems, which will take training. You have to do all this safely, which includes buying the right equipment. You really need to take other people's evaluations of you seriously, not just shrug them off.
It doesn't take much for Cavern class. You can do cavern with pretty much everything you have for OW diving. You'll ditch the snorkel, get a 7' hose, and a reel. Its not a bad idea to go ahead and get aquainted with this gear before the class.
Then take Cavern. Soak it all in. Then dive caverns, for AWHILE. It truly will do you some good.
Get out of the attitude of faster, farther, deeper, RIGHT NOW.
Then take Intro, and stick to Intro Cave diving for awhile. There are alot of caves out there with beginnings that you haven't seen yet. No need to get to the back, when you have so many beginnings to see yet! This is where you're gonna have to start really looking at different gear setups, as your OW rig isn't gonna be ideal.
Then worry about Apprentice and Full Cave certifications. Even then, progress slowly, all these certifications are just stages to progress your learning farther. Get ready to buy even more gear, doubles are a must, deco is gonna happen, redundancy will be key.
SuPrBuGmAn
Contributor
Doesn't hurt at all, but get used to it before you take the class. You'll be task loaded enough with the class, no need to add more with the addition of new gear.
I completely agree with the above sentiments. Please do your best to harness your enthusiasm and get good training and then progress slowly as your skills and experience increase. As Tom Mount pointed out at the NACD Conference this past weekend, it seems a lot of the cave diving deaths of late have been people diving beyond their level of training. In this era of technology, it is very easy to have technology (rebreathers, DPVs, etc) quickly get you way past your cave diving skill level. With all that being said, though, welcome to the world of cave diving!!!
Thanks!!! As for tanks what would you all recommend? Im diving single Lux 100's and someone said that they had a throw weight of 10 pounds or something. Im thinking of getting a double set of Steel 100's or 130's you think thats smart or stick with the alum 100's I got?
It's a long road to get to where you're talking about going. Take your time. Get your gear...get comfortable with it...get the training...dive at that level...get gear for next level...get comfortable with it...get the training...dive at that level...repeat!
We ALL look ahead to the next level, but don't forget about where you're at NOW.
For gear I'd start with a HOG set up. If money is any kind of an issue, I'd go in this order - get the hoses first (7' hose on primary, 22" hose on back up), the a bp/wing and fins (jetfin type, so splits), then some lights (2 back ups and 1 primary...only need 2 of the 3 for cavern), then reel/spools (you'll need a primary reel and a safety spool for Cavern), then doubles, them much, much more.
Find some good instructors. Talk to them. Talk to them about your gear. They may or may not let you take cavern in doubles. If you go the doubles route early on, find someone to bring you up to speed on how to use them. If you don't know what your doing with doubles, your missing most of the advantages of them.
NACD, NSS-CDS, IANTD, GUE, and NAUI all offer cave training. The courses for the first 3 look fairly similar. NAUI and GUE take a little different approach. Agency is less of a factor than the individual instructor. Find one that is very thorough, knowledgable, and that you click with and that you feel comfortable learning from. There are LOTS of instructors with LOTS of different styles. Find the one that works for you.
As we've all read, seen, and felt recently...going to fast can kill you.
Be safe, have fun, and enjoy!!!
We ALL look ahead to the next level, but don't forget about where you're at NOW.
For gear I'd start with a HOG set up. If money is any kind of an issue, I'd go in this order - get the hoses first (7' hose on primary, 22" hose on back up), the a bp/wing and fins (jetfin type, so splits), then some lights (2 back ups and 1 primary...only need 2 of the 3 for cavern), then reel/spools (you'll need a primary reel and a safety spool for Cavern), then doubles, them much, much more.
Find some good instructors. Talk to them. Talk to them about your gear. They may or may not let you take cavern in doubles. If you go the doubles route early on, find someone to bring you up to speed on how to use them. If you don't know what your doing with doubles, your missing most of the advantages of them.
NACD, NSS-CDS, IANTD, GUE, and NAUI all offer cave training. The courses for the first 3 look fairly similar. NAUI and GUE take a little different approach. Agency is less of a factor than the individual instructor. Find one that is very thorough, knowledgable, and that you click with and that you feel comfortable learning from. There are LOTS of instructors with LOTS of different styles. Find the one that works for you.
As we've all read, seen, and felt recently...going to fast can kill you.
Be safe, have fun, and enjoy!!!
You don't see the double Al100s too much...there are better ways to get the same volume. Steel 100s and 130s are both common and good for differnt reasons, so are their LP cousins - the LP85s and 104/108s. The 100/85 are smaller cylinders and offer less drag and plenty of volume at the beginning levels. The larger 130/104s offer a larger volume that is good once you advance. Some say that the increased drag from the larger tanks (130/104s) negates the added volume and they can go just as far with the smaller tanks. Also different tanks trim out differently. Some people can't use the 130/104s. Smaller divers usually like the 119/95s. Some taller divers like the 120s. You'll really want to get some milage and know what it is that actually works for YOU. Test drive all the models. Lots of rentals available in Cave Country. Beg, borrow, and steal and see what fits.
Again, talk to your instructor. If I were in your shoes, I'd take Cavern with the single Al100s that you have. They offer a good volume and will do the job for Cavern. Then once you know a little more and understand everything better, then look for some doubles.
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