Cave Training in Cozumel

[k-valve]

Hello from Cozumel!

Rather try to pen a HUGE trip report and forget a ton of details when we return, Brandon and I figured we'd try a daily or every other day update about our trip to Coz to get our cave training. No promises about posting, but we're gonna try. At least there's a wireless connection just down the street from our hotel.

We are staying at the Hotel Pepita. It's definitely off the beaten track a little, but the accommodations are clean and roomy, and the hotel staff is excellent. If you're into spending your money on things other than your hotel I'd highly recommend it. $40 a night with two full-size beds in the room.

Our instructor, German Yanez, stopped by the room last night around 7:30 to check our gear. Brandon and I passed that first test after taking a few tips from our DIR friends...NOT! We went down there with a basic Hogarthian setup and German was happy. He didn't change a thing and was happy with our setup.

Today he picked us up promptly at 7:00 a.m. Yes, we are in Mexico and I'm telling you this guy was at the hotel at 7:00 a.m. and 6 seconds. Very cool...

We spent the morning doing a combination of lecture and line drills including laying line, lights out drills, touch contact and all the signs that go along with potential issues we could run into in the cave...entanglements, going over the line, etc. It was a nice mix of discussions and hands-on activities.

Around 10:30 we left for the water. On the way we stopped for sandwiches and tostados at a little family-owned store. Both were awesome and cheap. It cost Brandon and I a little less than $3 each. Then we went to the "air depot" at Cozumel to get our tanks.

German started us off in double aluminum 80s rather than singles. Not sure why, but Zinc and I were both glad to dive doubles rather than messing around with singles. We did three dives. All were fairly short. On the first dive I ran the line (Paul will be happy to know there was no Bucket of Bastards today...Paul's term for a fouled reel). We basically ran the line from the cave opening to the permanent line...which may have been 200' or so. After that we followed the permanent line for a little ways and turned around. Zinc helped me recover the line. It all went pretty well with a couple of minor mistakes on both our parts that were easily rectified as the dive progressed.

Next Brandon ran the line into the cave and I was responsible for helping him...shining the light on the spot he was tying and helping him retrieve the line by undoing the tie-offs as we reached them.

The last dive German ran the line. Needless to say he was a helluva a lot more efficient and fast than either myself or Brandon. After reaching the permanent line we followed the main line for much farther than on previous dives. After getting to the point where German wanted to turn the dive we did a lights out drill during which all of our lights were turned off and Brandon and I did a touch contact drill back to our primary reel. That was pretty fun.

Once we got back to the mouth of the cave and were doing our safety stop German surprised us with a valve drill by free flowing our primary reg. Luckily, Matt B. trained us well and that went off without a hitch. Of course, German came back and did another with our backup reg just to be sure we could turn off both valves easily.

There was plenty of discussion and analysis of the dives after each one. German is turning out to be the awesome instructor everyone has told us he is.

At the end of the day he asked us if we were having fun yet and both Zinc and I chimed in with a "Yes!" He followed up with, "No we're not...not yet. Just wait."

I can't wait to see what he has in store for us tomorrow...

 

[TSandM]

Thanks for the report! Were you diving Aerolito, or someplace else?

German is a lovely man, very patient and very enthusiastic. Tell him Lynne says hi!

 

[Martha]

I don't think cave diving is for me, but I find it very fascinating to read about your experiences. Thanks so much for sharing your trip. I'm looking forward to finding out what he has in store for you.

 

[Teknadv3x]

John,
Thanks for the play by play. Sounds like the transition to the dark side is going very well for Y'all. A word of warning once you get cave diving in your blood its hard to to think about anything else.


Godspeed
Dave

 

[Mack Diver]

Brandon and I did a touch contact drill back to our primary reel. That was pretty fun.

I'm getting concerned about how much time you and Zinc are spending together. Does Angie know y'all are doing touch contact drills?

Keep up the great reports

 

[Crazyduck]

The best teacher are the ones that make learning fun and allow you to explore safely within the given limits.

Keep up the great work; this type of training is like learning to "train your brain" meditating. Great concentration followed by a type of relaxation.

Enjoy, and here's looking forward to the those lost line drills and lights out dives.

Have fun.
Regards, andrew

 

[tlessard]

You guys suck...have a badass time!

 

[k-valve]

You guys suck...have a badass time!

We're lovin' it so far. We'll keep ya'll posted.

I'm getting concerned about how much time you and Zinc are spending together. Does Angie know y'all are doing touch contact drills?

Ha, ha! You've met Angie...she doesn't have anything to worry about!

Were you diving Aerolito, or someplace else?

Yes, just Aerolito so far. If we graduate we're going to the mainland for a graduation dive though.

We already mentioned you and Andrew to him. He was quite complimentary. I'll definitely tell him you said, "Hello."

 

[k-valve]

Last night we went down to the Square to listen to a local band and throw back a couple of cervezas. This was pretty much a local thing as the cruise ships had departed earlier in the day. There were still plenty of touristas, but there were many more locals. Pretty cool deal.

This morning German picked us up bright and early at 7:00 a.m. We spent the lecture time talking about psychological issues related to stress and cave diving and what to do to alleviate stress in ourselves and our team. We practiced lost buddy and lost guideline drills on land before heading to the cenote. We shoulda known there was more "fun" in store for us today.

On our first dive Zinc ran the line and German lead us a little farther down the permanent line. At that point German gave us the signal that we were going to do a drill...lights out/zero vis air share while exiting the cave. I was guideline support, so I was the guy who got to run out of air.

We were a little shaky on the air share and stirred up a little silt. It didn't bother us much since we were lights out from there on anyway. We weren't the most graceful, that's for sure, but Zinc and I managed to make it back to our primary line together, at the same time and on the permanent line. ...and, yes, Mack...that was a touch contact drill.

The second dive was pretty much the same as the first with the difference being I ran the line. Zinc was the out of air diver this time. Once again we did a lights out/no viz air share back. This time we were much smoother start to finish.

We saw some very interesting marine life today. I wish I had my camera to show ya'll some pictures. First we saw a clam swimming in the water...not sure it's called swimming or propelling, but the thing was moving. We also saw a couple of Fire Worms. They are this beautiful red and white worm that looks something like a cross between a centipede and a caterpillar...a fat caterpillar. Very beautiful, but it gets it's name not from it's color, but from the burning sting it gives when contacted. Ouch!

On the last dive we had to do the dreaded lights out, lost guideline drill. This is the exact barrel of monkeys you've heard stories about. We followed the permanent line into a point in the cave German liked. At that point he took Zinc off in one direction and me in another. I can't speak for Zinc, but he took me off until I completely lost my bearings (in my head since we had to do this eyes closed) and placed my hand on a rock I was to tie off on before attempting to find the guideline again. Note the word attempting.

I had a little trouble tying off the line on this unknown rock in darkness, but got it done. As I said, I was pretty disoriented. I headed off to the right for my first attempt. All I found was a bunch of rock wall and low ceilings. Of course, I didn't remember this. I was thinking, did this guy drop me off in a little off shoot from the main cave, or what!?

Of course, I didn't find the line, so I turned around reeled in and then headed off in another direction. This time I also missed the permanent line, but got luck and hit our primary line and found my way back. Whew!! It turns out I was running parallel to the permanent line on the first try, and darn near parallel to it on the second.

I guess we're doing OK, 'cause German said he'd pick us up again tomorrow morning bright and early at 7 a.m. We'll keep you posted.

 

[Zinc]

Ditto on K-valves posts...

Lost line drill was definitely challenging, but the experience does lend to confidence that if you correctly run the procedure, it is sometimes possible to find the missing line in total darkness. More than that however, it re-enforced the critical point of line awareness... better to NEVER lose the line, and only have to use this drill in practice.

German took me off the line and by the time he placed my hand on my unseen tie-off point, I was thoroughly disoriented. It took a bit to get the reel tied off and I headed out on the first attempt. Went under the line, crossed to other side of cave, and headed up toward the ceiling where I could feel the cool halocline. I gained some slack in the line and while reeling in, lost the line which I had trapped only to go back under it again. I reeled out again, this time sticking to the ceiling on return and successfully found the line, the arrows, and headed out the right way... I guess I'll get to live another day