Gearing up and Training for Cavern/Basic Cave

[denisegg]

Agree with all the above.

In particular,what are you going to do with a lift bag in a cave?

In some cases the entry/exit to a cavern/cave does not lend itself to a deco stop and you can deploy the bag in OW for your stop. I've never deployed one in a cave but I have had to use my drysuit as redundancy when my wing dump valve stuck open.

Most instructors will have extra gear like reels that they are happy for you to use during class and you can get a feel for what you like.

 

[mdax]

I have to agree with others, if the $160 reel is throwing you then you are not going to be happy with the other costs. Make a spreadsheet of everything you'll need from your instructors list. Then make another list for if/when you catch the cave bug. One important thing to realize is that you only have to buy good gear once, if you buy cheaper stuff you end up replacing it'll cost you twice...and any gear problems cost you way more due to missing a dive, cursing yourself for buying crap gear while you walk back to the car in the heat and the evil looks from your buddies. Calling your instructor is a good move, give him a call, you'll find that he will have good advice as he's heard all these concerns many times.

 

[CCRDolphinDiver]

In some cases the entry/exit to a cavern/cave does not lend itself to a deco stop and you can deploy the bag in OW for your stop. I've never deployed one in a cave but I have had to use my drysuit as redundancy when my wing dump valve stuck open.

Most instructors will have extra gear like reels that they are happy for you to use during class and you can get a feel for what you like.

Intro/basic cave wont have any deco stops and I have never seen a cave diver carrying a lift bag, spend the dough on a really good basic reel, skip all the reels with "features" and get one with a comfortable handle that you can use with gloves, I like the Dive Rite, they also have a spectacular warranty. You will need only one safety spool (for basic cave, since there is no navigation off the main line). Run all the line out on your reels/spools and repack them. Make loops in the ends that the reel/spool will fit through easily for tying on. You will need a line cutter or two, two excellent LED backup lights, I like the light monkey units, cheap and reliable with enough burn time and usable light that they can be used as primaries. Backup Lights - Light Monkey Enterprises LLC

You should be able to maintain perfect position underwater hovering without resorting to using your hands or touching anything, and if you dont go in with that ability you will certainly have it when you finish. : )

As has been said, your chosen instructor should have a written list of required equipment and if he doesn't have the time to answer your questions or does not have any such equipment list, find a new instructor.

Backplate, wing, regs, doubles, minimalist is best, stay away from split fins or featured fins, use basic turtles, jets or my personal favorite Slipstreams with spring straps, lighter and they float. Fancy fins wont let you back up very well. Cave diving is not a gadget fest, you are there for training, relax and learn. Don't forget to have fun!

 

[PfcAJ]

Save yourself some $$ and skip the lift bag. Halcyon/Salvo/Lightmonkey reels are the way to go. Buy one of those instead and you'll be a happy camper.

 

[ianr33]

Would suck if you dropped the one spool during a siltout/lost line though.
I like to carry at east 2 spools, even when not planning on leaving the gold line.

 

[Helipilot86]

Let me vouche for the M1 I've beaten the crap out of that thing, left it out in the sun and I am still happy with it. F1's are just great all around fins glad I bought them....(Thanks Pete

I would agree, Get a back plate, Simple harness and a classic single wing...then stop......figure out what you don't like and do like about gear during the course then move from there.

 

[victorzamora]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. It seems like the consensus is to ask Jeff. I'll definitely be doing that. I had a long reply typed up days ago that I thought I posted, but I obviously didn't post. As far as masks and fins go, I have a mask and fins...but I'm not the biggest fan of either. As for the lift bag, y'all are right....I don't know why it was stuck in my head that I needed one. So, that's quite a bit of cash savings there. Enough to go on a couple more dive trips to get used to my gear .

I already own a BP/W setup....but not a SM setup. I've been diving SM on a few (like 1 OW and 3 pool) dives and had my local Tech mentor (co-owner of the LDS I work at) said he likes my setup. I also had someone I trust (Buck Buchanan) help decide on the setup. I know it's okay...but I need to compare it to a proper setup on something like an SMS100/Nomad. I also need to get my regulators set-up properly for sidemounting in terms of what goes where and which hoses to use.

As far as the $160 on a reel. I'm not opposed to spending $160 on good stuff...but I'm going to be spending over $4500 in scuba after the $1000+$250 I've already spent on BPW/Regs and Regs, along with ALL of the other crap I've purchased for Scuba slowly over the years, plus training/trips leading up to this point. In the past 6 months, I've spent over $4k on Scuba plus hundreds of hours working for the LDS....and am about to spend another $4500 or so. The problem is I'm have a very limited earning potential this summer and am ONLY going to be able to make a certain amount of money. If you would like the spreadsheet calculating cost of stuff I'm going to buy and the money I'm making, just let me know and I'll e-mail it to you. Another problem is I was hoping to assemble a VERY thorough save-a-dive kit, and this cuts into that budget.

The problem I have with $160 for a reel is that it's $160 I can't spend on a trip to get comfortable in my gear. But let me ask you this, everyone seems to use the words "reel" and "spool" almost interchangeably. Would a high-quality reel really be any better than a high-quality spool?

As far as needing to impress an instructor, I feel no need. I simply want to be as prepared as humanly possible (including both owning and being familiar with gear) so I can get as much out of his course as humanly possible. I don't want to worry about learning how to use a piece of gear, where to place it, how to clip it to stuff, etc....I want to focus on the cave stuff that I'm paying to learn. I'll be sending Jeff Loflin an e-mail today (hopefully) about some clarifications for some of this stuff.

 

[gurnie]

I would really talk with your instructor, they can take the best recommendations that fit with the environment you are training in.

 

[LiteHedded]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. It seems like the consensus is to ask Jeff. I'll definitely be doing that. I had a long reply typed up days ago that I thought I posted, but I obviously didn't post. As far as masks and fins go, I have a mask and fins...but I'm not the biggest fan of either. As for the lift bag, y'all are right....I don't know why it was stuck in my head that I needed one. So, that's quite a bit of cash savings there. Enough to go on a couple more dive trips to get used to my gear .

I already own a BP/W setup....but not a SM setup. I've been diving SM on a few (like 1 OW and 3 pool) dives and had my local Tech mentor (co-owner of the LDS I work at) said he likes my setup. I also had someone I trust (Buck Buchanan) help decide on the setup. I know it's okay...but I need to compare it to a proper setup on something like an SMS100/Nomad. I also need to get my regulators set-up properly for sidemounting in terms of what goes where and which hoses to use.

As far as the $160 on a reel. I'm not opposed to spending $160 on good stuff...but I'm going to be spending over $4500 in scuba after the $1000+$250 I've already spent on BPW/Regs and Regs, along with ALL of the other crap I've purchased for Scuba slowly over the years, plus training/trips leading up to this point. In the past 6 months, I've spent over $4k on Scuba plus hundreds of hours working for the LDS....and am about to spend another $4500 or so. The problem is I'm have a very limited earning potential this summer and am ONLY going to be able to make a certain amount of money. If you would like the spreadsheet calculating cost of stuff I'm going to buy and the money I'm making, just let me know and I'll e-mail it to you. Another problem is I was hoping to assemble a VERY thorough save-a-dive kit, and this cuts into that budget.

The problem I have with $160 for a reel is that it's $160 I can't spend on a trip to get comfortable in my gear. But let me ask you this, everyone seems to use the words "reel" and "spool" almost interchangeably. Would a high-quality reel really be any better than a high-quality spool?

As far as needing to impress an instructor, I feel no need. I simply want to be as prepared as humanly possible (including both owning and being familiar with gear) so I can get as much out of his course as humanly possible. I don't want to worry about learning how to use a piece of gear, where to place it, how to clip it to stuff, etc....I want to focus on the cave stuff that I'm paying to learn. I'll be sending Jeff Loflin an e-mail today (hopefully) about some clarifications for some of this stuff.

these are not the same things. you need both.

 

[PfcAJ]

The trick to getting cave gear on the cheap is to buy it used. Top quality stuff can be had for half of retail, and will work flawlessly. Don't skimp on gear because its expensive. Diving (especially technical diving) is expensive.