Thanks for the lengthy and detailed report. Would you mind sharing the instructor you took Cave 1 with?
Sure - I took C1 with Fred Devos, at Zero Gravity in Mexico. Fred was a great instructor, he gave us a lot of information on how to appreciate the caves over there, and was able to keep the learning very nicely always on the curve - never plateuing off, and never rising as a cliff. I think that applies to all GUE instructors, though