Cavern diving

[Rich52]

I will be taking my cavern cert this fall. I have completed up to nitrox certification. Is it advisable to combine intro with this course? I really don't know what my future plans include and would hate to make the extra investment in course fees for something that will expire in 18 months not to mention the new equipment costs. Took a drive to Peacock this past weekend and could not dive even Orange Grove because of the flooding, but being there peaked my interest in pursuing at least the general knowledge involved. I admit I'am fascinated by what I've read and seen in photos (I've now read Shecks book 3 times). I never dive beyond my training as do any of the other divers in my house. Feel free to give me input as to what you think

Thanks Rich

 

[Dive Bug Bit Me]

I did Cavern and Intro together and never looked back.

Thing is I was already very comfortable with the skills required. I was comfortable laying line, etc because I had completed technical wreck training before my first cavern dive.

If your dive count of less than 100 dives is correct then maybe split the courses. It sounds like you might live close to the area and it isn't a huge expense to return. Again maybe look at splitting the courses.
If you have pin point buoyancy and some line experience then I'd say go for it, do both consecutively.

 

[corvettejoe]

I would do them separately since you live in FL.
You will get more time in for learning all the skills required for cave in your Cavern course.

Cavern is teaching you all the skills you need for overhead environments.
Cave is just learning how not to die using those skills learned in Cavern.

Most of our cave systems have pretty caverns, so perhaps take that first and get familiar with all of that first. Once you master your skills in cavern, then move to Cave. It will only make you a better diver to get that experience in. You can also spend some money upgrading gear and such to prep you for cave (doubles, sidemount, new hoses or gear pieces, new BC, high end lighting, etc). Then use all that gear in the cavern zones and get comfortable using it.

Getting Cavern basically "unlocks" most of our state parks with caves... letting you dive in them where you couldn't as an OW diver.

Peacock is a really pretty system with 3ish cavern zones (P1, Olsen and Orange Grove). Madison has a nice big cavern zone with multiple entrances. Manatee has a decent cavern, but it's doesn't go back too far before hitting the signs. Little River has a cool cavern. Paradise is a beautiful cavern (and they allow AOW in there), but its a great place to shake out new gear in a huge cavern area.

Then when you've mastered your skills... Cave should be a piece of cake.

Also, take one of the courses that doesn't expire. You can dive MILES of cave in FL with just Cave1 (NAUI) or Intro to Cave (TDI), and neither expire. There's others to.

Just my $.02 and how I did it.

 

[Superlyte27]

If you think you're going to like cave diving, and you can afford the upcharge in equipment, go ahead and take Cavern and Intro to Cave. There are a lot more skills taught in Intro that aren't taught in Cavern. Cavern will make sure you have a solid foundation (only if you take it with a good instructor) for cave diving, but doesn't teach you EVERYTHING you need to know to dive overhead.

In a nutshell, you can do cavern class in most of your recreational gear that you probably own now. At the Intro level you're needing different tanks, more lights, reels, probably a BP/W. Etc.

Also, there are lots of agencies where Intro to Cave does not expire. I'd definitely look for a good instructor who teaches for one of those agencies.

Feel free to give me a call anytime if you want some personalized information for your particular situation. I'm in Cave Country a lot. We can get some lunch or chat over the phone.

Peter
407-304-9288

 

[mselenaous]

I took Cavern first as I wanted to refine some of the skills I learned before moving on to the next level. It took me over a year and 2 tries to complete Basic due to time constraints and I needed to get my trim balanced out. Next time was a total blast!

BTW You can take Cavern class in recreational set-up but you will need reels, lights, arrows/cookies, and probably some other items.
Intro when done in doubles/tech set-up give you a Basic Cave certification limited to 1/6ths.

Here is my Cavern class review:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cave-diving/376927-cavern-class-capt-jim-wyatt.html

There plenty of cavern & cave class reviews posted here on SB to read so you'll know exactly what to expect.

Have fun and dive safe!

 

[TSandM]

Here's my take: The transition from average recreational diver to cave diver has a number of components. One, you have to switch to diving cave-acceptable equipment, whether that's backmounted doubles or a sidemount setup. Two, you have to bring your buoyancy, trim, and general control in the water up to cave standard. Three, you have to develop your situational awareness to allow you to be safe in a cave, and if you intend to dive with other people, your awareness of and communication with your team. And four, you have to learn how to run line, do tie-offs, and put in jumps, and you have to learn the marking conventions for cave navigation.

Now, if you look at the first three things on that list, none of them require you to be in a cave to do them. You can dive doubles in OW, refine your buoyancy, and train your situational awareness on any reef dive. It is my VERY strong belief that those things SHOULD be done in open water, and save the cave time for learning the things you have to have a cave to learn.

Now, your situation, being in Florida, is a little different, because you may be able to drive easily to where you can dive in a cavern. If so, a cavern class may be the place to start -- but if you have had no introduction to the standards used in cave diving, it may be a rude surprise. This is the reason I recommend classes like GUE Fundamentals (available in multiple places in Florida) as a starting point. If you come into your cavern class, and you can hover, motionless, six inches off a silty floor, and use a good frog kick, and do a good helicopter turn, and swim comfortably with a mask off, you will be WAY ahead of the game in cavern, and your instructor can spend more of your time in the overhead, working on line skills and the like.

If you have worked on your basic diving skills as enumerated above, and gotten them to cave standard, by all means do both in one trip. I did. You'll be ready.

 

[Rich52]

Well thanks to everyone for all the outstanding info. Keep ya posted