100days-a-year
Contributor
No James ,you could not go down and take a cave course over the weekend and be a cave diver.A week from OW to full cave is rather quick.Not to mention the fact most agencies require a minimun # of dives,most in doubles before you can even advance beteen cavern to apprentice to full cave.And they won't pass you till you display those skills.And ego -driven students are often the last to pass as they come into the class believing they already possess the requisite skill.The many deaths you mention are not certified cave divers but rather OW divers and even instructors who thought they had the ability and skill to dive without the training and skills.The few cave diver deaths have historically been attributed mostly to breaking primary rules of penetration diving and some equipment failure.As a rule 99% of the cave divers I've met which is 100's are very apt to help new guys out.I have met a few jerks but they pervade all of diving.I have yet to meet one DIR caver who was a jerk other than 1 who was a jerk far before he discovered GUE.They have been the most helpful even going so far as to help carry/setup gear for someone else's students.....