JamesK
Contributor
This was the weekend that I had set aside for taking my Apprentice Certification. One of my two normal dive buddies, Stan, went with to get his Full Cave card.
The diving began at Ginnie Springs on Saturday, October 5th. Today was simply going to be a day for us to do a "shakedown" dive before we started our class. We met up at Ginnie with some other folks that we knew who were down there. They were, my other regular dive buddy, my Intro instructor, and his newest student. The new student was Robs wife, Lee. They were getting ready to do a dive and we started gearing up.
Let me tell you, this dive was a MESS! Stan and I got into the water and started our S-Drills. Well, I had a nice size leak out of the back of my wings. I got out of the water, and fixed the leak. It was a coming from the elbow for the inflator. It was not screwed down tight enough. I got back in and we continued the S-Drills. Well, now I found that one of the burst disks on Stans tank was leaking. Now he had to get out and tighten down the plug. Finally, we were ready to start the dive. The plan was to go in the Eye, and follow the mainline to the Junction Room so we could practice tying off jumps. That never happened. While I was running the reel, I got a signal from Stan. His ears were bothering him. We surfaced and decided to relax for a minute before trying again. This time he would run the reel in case he had any problems. We got to the mainline and tied in. Well, that dive was ended quick because of more ear problems. This time however, they were mine. Oy Vey.
After all the problem we had, we decided it was just safer to call the dives for the day. Something was telling us not to go in. So we headed out, packed up, and tried to rationalize our wasting of $25 each for entry. We figured better this happen here today, then happen during class tomorrow.
Sunday
Well, we met at Larrys house to sign papers and talk about what we were going to do over the next two days. Let me tell you this, I could stay at his house all day and look at all of the beautiful pictures he has of caves. It is amazing.
Our first dives were going to be done at Ginnie, so we headed over that way. After setting our gear up, Larry checked it out to see how we had things arranged. My gear is arranged in the standard DIR configuration, and the only suggestions he made were that I might want to consider bent d-rings for my chest, moving the loop that holds my inflator to the side so it does not cover my d-ring, and possibly adding another half d-ring about an inch under the bent one to clip of my backup light to. That way I have the upper d-ring clear for stage and deco bottles. I am going to change the first two items, but I think I am just going to keep my 3 d-ring setup.
Dive 1
Well, we were now ready to plan our first dive. We had planned on entering the Ear, and setting up a circuit from the mainline to the Mud Tunnel Jump, and then down the Expressway line. Larry figured that we would hit thirds somewhere on that line, as he said most of his students do. We would place our marker there, and then turn and head out. I was to run the primary in, and make the first jump. When we got to the second jump, Stan was to take over the lead and jump that. Debra, his wife, was going to lead us in and help us locate good tie off points in case we needed help. We calculated thirds, and I had 3200psi. We were to turn after 1000psi.
We headed in and clipped of our O2 bottles. When we got to the Mud Tunnel Jump, I ran the spool and signaled Stan to take the lead. He lead in and ran the jump to the Expressway tunnel. We continued our dive, and I checked my backgas. I was not even close to thirds yet. This was great. We headed down the Expressway tunnel, and I just marveled at how beautiful this cave was back here. The majority of the walls were nice and black and the shape the water carved was indescribable. When we got to the jump from the Expressway Tunnel to the Bone Room Line, I was very shocked. Larry had expected us to turn before then. We did not have enough spools with us to continue. Lucky for us, Larry had brought a few of his own. He handed one to Stan and we made the jump. We did the quick hop back over to the mainline, and I received a jump reel from Larry. I ran that jump and we were back in the Junction Room. We had completed our entire planned circuit in one dive. I looked down at my gauge and I still had 200psi left before hitting thirds. We decided to turn the dive there, and head out, each of us grabbing the reels/spools that we placed.
We had just gotten past the keyhole when I noticed a fast shaking light. I turned around while deploying my primary. Sure enough, Stan was signaling out of air. We did the hand off, and I admit, it could have been cleaner. I had to stick my hand down on a rock, as I ushered Stan to the lead. That disappointed me quite a bit. I was hoping that I could have done it without touching anything.
On the way out, we stopped right past the Lips so Stan could do his lost line drill. I just sat there and floated in the dark. I was so relaxing that I felt like taking a nap, but I was WAY to pumped up to do that. I just enjoyed the quite and the dark.
When we got out, I was stuck with 12 minutes of deco. I laid there and reflected on the dive. I was on such a natural high.
When we got out, Larry commented on how well the two of us worked as a team and how well we communicated. He also said that we were very efficient and that he was surprised that we made the entire circuit.
Total Time 1:29 @ 95ft.
Dive 2
We had originally planned dive two as the completion dive of our circuit. However, since we did that, Larry wanted to give us a fun dive. We discussed several options, and then opted on entering the Eye, going through the Catacombs, jumping off at Hill 400, and then entering July Springs. Sounded good to me!
This time it was just Stan, Larry, and myself. Debra had to leave. We dropped our O2 bottles, and Stan lead the dive and ran the primary through the Catacombs. Larry went ahead of us and brought his video camera and taped our dives. The Catacombs are awesome! I would love to just spend an entire dive going in and out of them. I might just do that one day. After tying into the mainline, I was to take the lead. We again headed down the mainline. When we got to the Hill 400 jump, I ran the spool, and motioned for Stan to take the lead. Hill 400 was pretty cool too. I was really enjoying this dive. I knew it was just going to be for fun, and no drills were going to be done. Of course, I actually like the drills. Anyway, we got to the July Springs jump, and Stan deployed his spool. We only got about 100 feet down into July when Stan turned the dive. It was thirty minutes into the dive, and I think he might have been getting tired, as I still had 300psi before thirds.
On the way out, we each pulled our own spools, and took it as slow as possible considering the flow.
In the end, I got stuck with another 8 minutes of deco. I just sat in the eye and watched the night sky above. What a way to spend a day!
Total Time 1:07 @ 97ft.
After the diving we headed back to Larrys house to eat pizza, watch the video and discuss the dives. I was really scared to see what I looked like on video. I was worried that my trim would suck or something. I was nice and surprised with how I did, and Larry commented on how solid I looked. To me that was one of the best compliments I could have gotten. I admit that I could have been better, but that will come.
Monday
On Sunday night we discussed where to dive on Monday. I really wanted to do Manatee, and that was just fine with Larry. However, he said he would like to do a low flow system with us since we did a high flow one earlier. Several sites were discussed, but we decided on Peacock since we were staying in one of Rennakers trailers.
We met that morning and discussed our dive plan. We decided to run the mainline to the Nicholson Tunnel. From there we would jump into the Cisteen Line and head back towards the mainline. On the way out, Larry would hit us with some drills. Stan would run the primary, the first jump, and the last jump. I would run the second and third jumps.
This dive went pretty much as planned. The Nicholson Tunnel was magnificent. Orange Grove was always my favorite tunnel in Peacock, but this one beat that. I had found my new favorite tunnel...........for now.
On the way out, we passed by the first team we had seen since Saturday in the water. They were on the Nicholson line. Although, I am not really sure how they go there, because there were no other reels or spools but my own. If they followed our line in, that was a big no-no.
Anyway, we continued our dive, and once we got back past Pothole, I was asked where my buddy went. Well, he was right behind me, and I knew that, but it was time for another drill. I searched for my imaginary buddy, and then Stan had to do the same. After the drill we exited the cave and went on and on about how beautiful the Nicholson line was.
Total Time 1:28 at 64ft.
Dive 4.
After filling up my tanks and my stomach, we went for our last dive. We got in at about 4:30, so we planned to turn this dive after 25 minutes. This dive was to take us down the Peanut line and into Waterhole III. I ran the primary in and the Stan took the lead. He was to make the jump from Peanut to Waterhole. I had been down the Peanut line plenty of times, but I still love going through the bedding plane. So we drop down to the lower area of Peanut, and I am still amazed at how damaged this tunnel is. There are scooter burn marks, handprints, knee prints, and fin prints everywhere. The walls are still beautiful though, and if you look close, you can see some beautiful clay layers. When we got to the Waterhole line, Stan made the jump and we headed in. I can not believe how different this tunnel is compared to the one it connects to. The way the rock is cut and the little swim through areas are gorgeous. This is my new favorite tunnel. We did not get far in before we hit the 25 minute turn time.
On the way out, I just enjoyed the rest of the dive. When we reached the bedding plane again, Larry hit us with another drill. Stan, who was behind me again hit me with out of air. Once we got that taken care of and Stan in the lead, we were told that our lights had just gone out. We got on the line and started our exit. The line was in some very tight places, and we were squeezed in trying to get it out so we could follow it. We hit the line arrow in the bedding plane, and I at least knew we were making progress. Larry let a little light out from his backup light, and told us to end the drill. Then he told me I was out of air and that our lights were still out. We were in touch contact already, and we had to change positions on the line in the dark while trying to share air. I am sure this looked like a big time CF. I knew Larry had to be laughing. Well, we finally got out of the bedding plane, and the drill ended. The one thing I can not figure out, is how he managed to swim out of the entire length of the bedding plane in the dark, without touching his tanks to the ceiling, while carrying the video camera, backwards. That one I have got to learn! We continue to head out, and then I was told to turn my light off, and close my eyes. When I did, Larry dropped me in some part of the cave on the floor. I guess I had just lost the line. I had to find my tie off and look for the line. I was able to find it within 30 seconds or so, and tied in. When I was done, I opened my eyes, and it was still dark. Then I noticed that Stan was being led to a spot to do his lost line drill over. He had requested this. When he finished his drill, we grabbed the primary and our diving was over. What a day.
Total Time 1:13 at 54 feet.
Well, afterwards we headed back to Larrys house and finished paperwork and took our tests. He made us a copy of the three dives he had video taped for us. It was already real late, and we had a long drive back to Atlanta, so we headed out after talking for a while and looking at pictures.
If anyone is interested in any form of cave or technical training, I would highly recommend Larry Green and Eagles Nest Technical Divers. He is a top notch instructor, and when you are done with class, you dont feel as if he is your teacher, but a new dive buddy and friend.
The website for Eagle's Nest is www.tecdivers.com
The diving began at Ginnie Springs on Saturday, October 5th. Today was simply going to be a day for us to do a "shakedown" dive before we started our class. We met up at Ginnie with some other folks that we knew who were down there. They were, my other regular dive buddy, my Intro instructor, and his newest student. The new student was Robs wife, Lee. They were getting ready to do a dive and we started gearing up.
Let me tell you, this dive was a MESS! Stan and I got into the water and started our S-Drills. Well, I had a nice size leak out of the back of my wings. I got out of the water, and fixed the leak. It was a coming from the elbow for the inflator. It was not screwed down tight enough. I got back in and we continued the S-Drills. Well, now I found that one of the burst disks on Stans tank was leaking. Now he had to get out and tighten down the plug. Finally, we were ready to start the dive. The plan was to go in the Eye, and follow the mainline to the Junction Room so we could practice tying off jumps. That never happened. While I was running the reel, I got a signal from Stan. His ears were bothering him. We surfaced and decided to relax for a minute before trying again. This time he would run the reel in case he had any problems. We got to the mainline and tied in. Well, that dive was ended quick because of more ear problems. This time however, they were mine. Oy Vey.
After all the problem we had, we decided it was just safer to call the dives for the day. Something was telling us not to go in. So we headed out, packed up, and tried to rationalize our wasting of $25 each for entry. We figured better this happen here today, then happen during class tomorrow.
Sunday
Well, we met at Larrys house to sign papers and talk about what we were going to do over the next two days. Let me tell you this, I could stay at his house all day and look at all of the beautiful pictures he has of caves. It is amazing.
Our first dives were going to be done at Ginnie, so we headed over that way. After setting our gear up, Larry checked it out to see how we had things arranged. My gear is arranged in the standard DIR configuration, and the only suggestions he made were that I might want to consider bent d-rings for my chest, moving the loop that holds my inflator to the side so it does not cover my d-ring, and possibly adding another half d-ring about an inch under the bent one to clip of my backup light to. That way I have the upper d-ring clear for stage and deco bottles. I am going to change the first two items, but I think I am just going to keep my 3 d-ring setup.
Dive 1
Well, we were now ready to plan our first dive. We had planned on entering the Ear, and setting up a circuit from the mainline to the Mud Tunnel Jump, and then down the Expressway line. Larry figured that we would hit thirds somewhere on that line, as he said most of his students do. We would place our marker there, and then turn and head out. I was to run the primary in, and make the first jump. When we got to the second jump, Stan was to take over the lead and jump that. Debra, his wife, was going to lead us in and help us locate good tie off points in case we needed help. We calculated thirds, and I had 3200psi. We were to turn after 1000psi.
We headed in and clipped of our O2 bottles. When we got to the Mud Tunnel Jump, I ran the spool and signaled Stan to take the lead. He lead in and ran the jump to the Expressway tunnel. We continued our dive, and I checked my backgas. I was not even close to thirds yet. This was great. We headed down the Expressway tunnel, and I just marveled at how beautiful this cave was back here. The majority of the walls were nice and black and the shape the water carved was indescribable. When we got to the jump from the Expressway Tunnel to the Bone Room Line, I was very shocked. Larry had expected us to turn before then. We did not have enough spools with us to continue. Lucky for us, Larry had brought a few of his own. He handed one to Stan and we made the jump. We did the quick hop back over to the mainline, and I received a jump reel from Larry. I ran that jump and we were back in the Junction Room. We had completed our entire planned circuit in one dive. I looked down at my gauge and I still had 200psi left before hitting thirds. We decided to turn the dive there, and head out, each of us grabbing the reels/spools that we placed.
We had just gotten past the keyhole when I noticed a fast shaking light. I turned around while deploying my primary. Sure enough, Stan was signaling out of air. We did the hand off, and I admit, it could have been cleaner. I had to stick my hand down on a rock, as I ushered Stan to the lead. That disappointed me quite a bit. I was hoping that I could have done it without touching anything.
On the way out, we stopped right past the Lips so Stan could do his lost line drill. I just sat there and floated in the dark. I was so relaxing that I felt like taking a nap, but I was WAY to pumped up to do that. I just enjoyed the quite and the dark.
When we got out, I was stuck with 12 minutes of deco. I laid there and reflected on the dive. I was on such a natural high.
When we got out, Larry commented on how well the two of us worked as a team and how well we communicated. He also said that we were very efficient and that he was surprised that we made the entire circuit.
Total Time 1:29 @ 95ft.
Dive 2
We had originally planned dive two as the completion dive of our circuit. However, since we did that, Larry wanted to give us a fun dive. We discussed several options, and then opted on entering the Eye, going through the Catacombs, jumping off at Hill 400, and then entering July Springs. Sounded good to me!
This time it was just Stan, Larry, and myself. Debra had to leave. We dropped our O2 bottles, and Stan lead the dive and ran the primary through the Catacombs. Larry went ahead of us and brought his video camera and taped our dives. The Catacombs are awesome! I would love to just spend an entire dive going in and out of them. I might just do that one day. After tying into the mainline, I was to take the lead. We again headed down the mainline. When we got to the Hill 400 jump, I ran the spool, and motioned for Stan to take the lead. Hill 400 was pretty cool too. I was really enjoying this dive. I knew it was just going to be for fun, and no drills were going to be done. Of course, I actually like the drills. Anyway, we got to the July Springs jump, and Stan deployed his spool. We only got about 100 feet down into July when Stan turned the dive. It was thirty minutes into the dive, and I think he might have been getting tired, as I still had 300psi before thirds.
On the way out, we each pulled our own spools, and took it as slow as possible considering the flow.
In the end, I got stuck with another 8 minutes of deco. I just sat in the eye and watched the night sky above. What a way to spend a day!
Total Time 1:07 @ 97ft.
After the diving we headed back to Larrys house to eat pizza, watch the video and discuss the dives. I was really scared to see what I looked like on video. I was worried that my trim would suck or something. I was nice and surprised with how I did, and Larry commented on how solid I looked. To me that was one of the best compliments I could have gotten. I admit that I could have been better, but that will come.
Monday
On Sunday night we discussed where to dive on Monday. I really wanted to do Manatee, and that was just fine with Larry. However, he said he would like to do a low flow system with us since we did a high flow one earlier. Several sites were discussed, but we decided on Peacock since we were staying in one of Rennakers trailers.
We met that morning and discussed our dive plan. We decided to run the mainline to the Nicholson Tunnel. From there we would jump into the Cisteen Line and head back towards the mainline. On the way out, Larry would hit us with some drills. Stan would run the primary, the first jump, and the last jump. I would run the second and third jumps.
This dive went pretty much as planned. The Nicholson Tunnel was magnificent. Orange Grove was always my favorite tunnel in Peacock, but this one beat that. I had found my new favorite tunnel...........for now.
On the way out, we passed by the first team we had seen since Saturday in the water. They were on the Nicholson line. Although, I am not really sure how they go there, because there were no other reels or spools but my own. If they followed our line in, that was a big no-no.
Anyway, we continued our dive, and once we got back past Pothole, I was asked where my buddy went. Well, he was right behind me, and I knew that, but it was time for another drill. I searched for my imaginary buddy, and then Stan had to do the same. After the drill we exited the cave and went on and on about how beautiful the Nicholson line was.
Total Time 1:28 at 64ft.
Dive 4.
After filling up my tanks and my stomach, we went for our last dive. We got in at about 4:30, so we planned to turn this dive after 25 minutes. This dive was to take us down the Peanut line and into Waterhole III. I ran the primary in and the Stan took the lead. He was to make the jump from Peanut to Waterhole. I had been down the Peanut line plenty of times, but I still love going through the bedding plane. So we drop down to the lower area of Peanut, and I am still amazed at how damaged this tunnel is. There are scooter burn marks, handprints, knee prints, and fin prints everywhere. The walls are still beautiful though, and if you look close, you can see some beautiful clay layers. When we got to the Waterhole line, Stan made the jump and we headed in. I can not believe how different this tunnel is compared to the one it connects to. The way the rock is cut and the little swim through areas are gorgeous. This is my new favorite tunnel. We did not get far in before we hit the 25 minute turn time.
On the way out, I just enjoyed the rest of the dive. When we reached the bedding plane again, Larry hit us with another drill. Stan, who was behind me again hit me with out of air. Once we got that taken care of and Stan in the lead, we were told that our lights had just gone out. We got on the line and started our exit. The line was in some very tight places, and we were squeezed in trying to get it out so we could follow it. We hit the line arrow in the bedding plane, and I at least knew we were making progress. Larry let a little light out from his backup light, and told us to end the drill. Then he told me I was out of air and that our lights were still out. We were in touch contact already, and we had to change positions on the line in the dark while trying to share air. I am sure this looked like a big time CF. I knew Larry had to be laughing. Well, we finally got out of the bedding plane, and the drill ended. The one thing I can not figure out, is how he managed to swim out of the entire length of the bedding plane in the dark, without touching his tanks to the ceiling, while carrying the video camera, backwards. That one I have got to learn! We continue to head out, and then I was told to turn my light off, and close my eyes. When I did, Larry dropped me in some part of the cave on the floor. I guess I had just lost the line. I had to find my tie off and look for the line. I was able to find it within 30 seconds or so, and tied in. When I was done, I opened my eyes, and it was still dark. Then I noticed that Stan was being led to a spot to do his lost line drill over. He had requested this. When he finished his drill, we grabbed the primary and our diving was over. What a day.
Total Time 1:13 at 54 feet.
Well, afterwards we headed back to Larrys house and finished paperwork and took our tests. He made us a copy of the three dives he had video taped for us. It was already real late, and we had a long drive back to Atlanta, so we headed out after talking for a while and looking at pictures.
If anyone is interested in any form of cave or technical training, I would highly recommend Larry Green and Eagles Nest Technical Divers. He is a top notch instructor, and when you are done with class, you dont feel as if he is your teacher, but a new dive buddy and friend.
The website for Eagle's Nest is www.tecdivers.com
