CCR Cave Class-Student's Report

[Jill Heinerth]

Tony and Don are new CCR Cave divers. Click here for their first-hand report.
Good job guys!

 

[Meng_Tze]

I have wondered for a while which is the more challenging path:

From OW CCR diver to Cave CCR diver, or from OC Cave diver to CCR Cave diver.

Mind you I am not looking at which is 'better'. Just which path would pose to be more challenging.

Any thoughts Jill?

 

[Meng_Tze]

Bump...
Can you share some of your thoughts Jill?

 

[Jill Heinerth]

Well, I think it is really tough to learn to cave dive on a CCR. No matter how experienced the open water CCR diver, the task load really challenges their buoyancy and that can be very frustrating. As you likely remember, the first thing you do is spend a whole lot of time in six feet of open water with your eyes closed, while trying to do lots of new skills. Mind you, by the end of a class, the CCR Cave diver might be a better cave diver than the OC Cave diver. If they have truly understood the issues of gas management for emergencies, they tend to be more patient and slow in their approach to dives. Where an OC cave diver may rush like crazy to cover new ground, the CC cave diver seems to take their time, knowing that their bail out is linked to the time to get out and not necessarily the time it took to muddle around on the way in to the cave.
All that being said, I think many CCR Cave divers from all persuasions spend too much emphasis on the long distance stuff before really learning the cave. Wes Skiles said it best at this year's NSS-CDS Workshop, "If you haven't swam to the Henkelat least once, you should not be at the Henkel..."

Jill

 

[Meng_Tze]

Interesting points Jill. I had not thought of it that way. Thanks for that.

F

PS: looked it up. Ear to Hinkle first time was little over one hour.....