Cavern courses?

[SparticleBrane]

I think you can be a Full cave diver,divemaster and everything else with thousands of dives and still have to start all over with GUE Fundamentals.They want you diving their way.I wont bash em,but I dont agree with it.They dont need me and I dont need them.

I've talked to several people who did exactly what you mentioned, then took GUE-F, and said "That was the hardest class I've ever taken." :14:

 

[ucfdiver]

I currently have a waiver from PADI that allows me to teach cavern to students in doubles.

I think that's great that they're updating their standards.

 

[GDI]

I would recommend NAUI Intro to Tech or GUE's Fundemental's in lieu of a cavern course. Slightly more universal skill set. With those in hand you can breeze through most agency's cavern classes (NAUI or others), skip ahead to something like GUE Cave1, or go any number of directions.

Don't be making that assumption that you could breeze through

 

[GDI]

This is the order of my certifications
OW--> AOW--> First Responder next --> Rescue Diver --> Cavern--> Intro to Cave

Sounds like a good plan but I would add in a Enriched Air class a DAN O2 class (as has been mentioned).

Intro to cave is a non-decompression diving class but I would recommend to take a Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures training especially if you think you may be going beyond this level to other forms of tech diving or perhaps cave

 

[jeandiver]

Sounds like a good plan but I would add in a Enriched Air class a DAN O2 class (as has been mentioned).

Intro to cave is a non-decompression diving class but I would recommend to take a Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures training especially if you think you may be going beyond this level to other forms of tech diving or perhaps cave

Agreed on that
It was so nice to be able to do Adv/Nitrox-Deco in an OW environment before doing deco dives in Full Cave.
Just my 1.25 cents worth.
I didn't think much about it at the time , but looking back now , I am glad I did it that way. (Adv Nitrox/Deco THEN Full Cave)
But again , that's just me.

Beano Baggins

 

[LBHeyman]

Although I did not start this thread, I have got a lot of really good info from it. My friends and I are going to do our Cavern course but we are not sure of which agency to go through. This thread has been very informative. Scubaboard is great!!!

 

[Jason B]

I've talked to several people who did exactly what you mentioned, then took GUE-F, and said "That was the hardest class I've ever taken." :14:

I would be one of those people...

 

[SparticleBrane]

Hehe I was actually referring to some random guy you told me you met in Cave Country on one of your trips! But of course, if it applies to you as well...
I certainly wasn't going to name names!

GUE-F is the only scuba class I have taken outside of the the courses I've taken at NCSU so I don't have much basis for comparison. The classes at school are difficult but they're spread out over much longer periods of time so you have a bit more time to digest. GUE-F is much more intense and focused over the short period of time you have for class. Classes at school are usually 2 hours/day, 2 days/week. GUE-F was 3 days of 8am-10pm instruction plus the first night's classroom work. :11: Even though it was difficult it's been one of my best experiences of my short diving career so far.

edit: Of course, my awesome selection of dive buddies for the class certainly helped out!

 

[ianr33]

Who puts on a very detailed cavern course??? What all is involved with the course? Should I do intro to cave instead?


-Matt

One thing to bear in mind is that Cavern can be done in regular recreational gear (With maybe some modifications)
For Cave you will need to start spending serious $$$$ on gear.

 

[smiga]

I've talked to several people who did exactly what you mentioned, then took GUE-F, and said "That was the hardest class I've ever taken." :14:

Well, I am the one. I was PADI Dive Master and took fundies out of curiosity. Oh my! I discovered how much I suck. After fundies I enjoyed my diving tenfold. This is not bashing. My PADI instructor really promoted safe diving. He is good and safe diver. Although, even he admitted when we went for few fun dives year later after I took OW and had GUE training, that my GUE training made me better diver in all aspects. Team, communications, buoyancy, awareness, trim, safety. Divers are funny bunch. He doesn’t like DIR for all wrong reasons that are mentioned in last 10 years. But he did recognized good diving. We are still great friends even though he is PADI poster child and I am DIR boy. Sorry, but we don’t dive much. He is into teaching; I am into some serious diving. But I will dive with him anytime. (non technical)