Question Do you cave dive exactly the way you teach people to cave dive? Do you cave dive the way you were taught?

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

Instructors - what is one thing (skill, protocol and so on) that you teach, even though you would never use it in your own real cave diving? And what’s one thing that you do use but do not or cannot teach?

Divers - what is one thing (skill, protocol and so on) that you were taught that you found unworkable in real cave diving and bigger dives?

And why?

Open-ended question after having dived with someone who rigidly followed protocols taught by a specific shop that look rigorous on paper but probably don’t scale.

 

[Underwater Tourist]

Every instructor always does a full pre dive check, only dives yearly serviced regs, takes notes when turning the dive writing down tank pressure, and on the way back signals every navigational decision confirming it with every diver in the group

 

[LFMarm]

 

[TheCatFish]

 

[steinbil]

I don't anticipate many actual responses to this post, so...

Open-ended question after having dived with someone who rigidly followed protocols taught by a specific shop that look rigorous on paper but probably don’t scale.

...I think it would be more interesting to hear what the protocols were that you think are too rigorous or that don't scale?

PS.
My C1 instructor made a big point of the fact that he dove just like he taught, and said that otherwise he would be undermining his own credibility as an instructor...

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

Slight edit of the title to make it less of a popcorn topic because I'm honestly curious.

...I think it would be more interesting to hear what the protocols were that you think are too rigorous or that don't scale?

I don't want to dox myself so I will be a bit vague.

A good example would be cleaning jumps - but there were more. The way I've been taught is to pick up my non-directional marker and move along the line in the exit direction (as diver #1) or help with jump cleanup and then pick up my marker and move on in the exit direction (as diver #2) and obviously cleanup as diver #3. So as a team, you indicate the exit direction through your body position on the line and it's pretty smooth. That's a protocol that - I believe - would scale up to diving in tight passages or when hauling two scooters and many stages.

The diver I've been diving with was taught (at stage cave level) to huddle & cuddle around the jump, wait for all 3 divers in the team to point in the exit direction and then pick up non-directional markers and cleanup the jump. That works nicely in big training caves with loads of space but I doubt that it would work in tighter passages, in halocline or with loads of gear and it could lead to confusion if the team looses orientation as nobody is actually facing the exit. And I'm fairly sure that the people who teach the protocol definitely don't use it in their real diving.

Maybe the assumption is that everyone will eventually start diving solo and drop some of the training wheels - not sure, that's why I'm asking.

My C1 instructor made a big point of the fact that he dove just like he taught, and said that otherwise he would be undermining his own credibility as an instructor...

All my instructors did - I think that's a sign of a good instructor.

Every instructor always does a full pre dive check, only dives yearly serviced regs, takes notes when turning the dive writing down tank pressure, and on the way back signals every navigational decision confirming it with every diver in the group

Not every instructor that I know.

 

[ofg-1]

Slight edit of the title to make it less of a popcorn topic because I'm honestly curious.

OK, to satisfy your curiosity, just remember, when you drop a big turd in a punch bowl, don't expect everyone to sample the punch. And you should be suspicious of those who do.

 

[Rilelen]

Okay I’ll play. One very common thing that a lot of instructors (don’t think I’m doxxing anyone here) around here will tell you straight-up, is that they only run a line at Devil’s Eye and P1 for classes. All three of those lines start very very close to the cavern entrance, and tend to be congested on busy days. So yes you will run a line in your cave class. But many folks don’t outside of class…