"finished" my training

[trheeltek]

Originally posted by Campana
I didn't like it. I much prefer "our" method.

By "our" method, you're not referring to DIR divers, are you? Because Hogarthian gear rigging, including breathing the long hose, pre-dates DIR, and is taught and used extensively by non-GUE instructors. I much prefer "our" method too : ).

BTW, any stuffers out there that want to explain why they do it that way? I tried it once and didn't feel strongly one way or another. I breathe a long hose because that's how I was trained, and because I've been in an out of air situation and had someone grab my reg out of my mouth (well, try to anyway - we call him "Stumpy" now).

Trivia question for you old cavers - what's the origin of the term Hogarthian rigging, how did the inventor test the system, and what was the joking award given to the first users.

 

[Campana]

I believe "Hogarth" is Bill Main's middle name. I understand it was a kind of poking fun at self joke. Don't know any of the other.

By the way by "our" I don't mean DIR; I'm not a DIR trained diver. My gear is pretty much DIR, and I try to keep fit, and I don't smoke, and I don't dive with unsafe divers (well, in caves anyway). All my buddies are more or less the same configuration, and breath the long hose. That's why I put "our" in quotes.

 

[roakey]

I’ve always considered S-drills with a stuffed hose “destructive testing.”

If everything works you know that the hose WAS stuffed “correctly.” No guarantee that it’ll be restuffed “correctly.” In fact, given that the “owner” in a controlled environment (dry, on land) did the initial stuffing and someone else in water does the restuffing, there’s a good possibility that it WILL be done incorrectly.

Roak

 

[trheeltek]

Sorry Campana, didn't mean to imply you meant anything. Just a little sensitive on that point after a weekend at DIRfund.

Here's what I was told on the Hogarthian method by some old cave divers in Florida:

It all kind of started as a joke. Bill Main's a compulsive engineer type. He decided one day to come up with the best system for cave penetration, so he systematically moved stuff around on his body and recorded how far he was able to penetrate with it. More distance = better rigging. The result is the system we've got, pretty much. Other people who copied his way of rigging gear were jokingly awarded the Order of the Warthog, don't ask me why.

 

[Fetch]

Alec Ranck (sp), a TDI instructor, cave certified his son (who was just turning 14, last I remember).

I'm 99.9% certain his certification is Cave I, but it is possible it is Cave II.

Just an example, not being judgemental.

jeff

Originally posted by JamesK


OK. I was under the impression that you could not even get an Intro card until 18, and it sounds like she was doing full. I am all for it if the skills and mentality is right.

 

[maddiver]

That guy is a joke all over the place and isn't even taken seriously in Texas which knows nothing about tech diving. Alan Rank tech diver extrodonaire...you guys are killing me. Does he still idolize Hal Watts. Is 40 fathom grotto and 'unlimited airfills' still his version of the ultimate tech vacation.

I guess now he wants to show the world with 'Deep Outdoors'. He showed up at an intro to Dir seminar and was supposed to 'set everyone straight' but we didn't hear a peep from him the whole night. He certainly had his opportunities, I was there and know the story first hand.

Originally posted by Fetch
Alec Ranck (sp), a TDI instructor, cave certified his son (who was just turning 14, last I remember).

I'm 99.9% certain his certification is Cave I, but it is possible it is Cave II.

Just an example, not being judgemental.

jeff