DIR- GUE GUE Cave 2 - ready?
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If I recall correctly, it doesn't allow deco if you do not have specific training (and, personally, I agree with it). EDIT: apparently, I don't recall correctly, see next post
@steinbil and @Lorenzoid, thanks for your interest. I did it in Sardinia with "Mara," on September 2022. Mara is incredible, and his style is almost a perfect fit for my personality (I did the cave1 with him too, and several cave projects - always in Sardinia). It was an amazing experience; the last dive of the course was, BY FAR, the best dive of my life. I won't enter the details for two reasons: (1) it was too much time ago, and (2) I was in an especially tough situation due to my heart condition, which affected the course a lot.
How to prepare? Well, I took the suggestions I got here, analyzed my level, and decided what to train more. First, I found that I was close enough to the required level, so I started looking for a course.
Then, I realized that the mental map of the cave was easier for me than other tasks (with all the disadvantages "easiness" brings). So I decided to do only another small amount of cave dives to ensure I was really comfortable (I did something between 10 and 15 more), meaning that I started the course with slightly less cave dives under my belt than the average student.
Lastly, working with my hands and pockets was the most challenging thing for me (it still is!). So, I started to do the following basically at any rec and cave dive (never on tec ones):
- Single-handed clipping to d-rings.
- Single-handed retrieving and stowing of things in my dry-suit pockets.
I think I did something around 70 total dives between this post and the course, of which 10-15 cave dives and a similar amount of tec dives.
Overall, I'd say it is crucial to make an honest self-assessment, better with the help of some instructors; otherwise, the course could be painful. In my case, I already had experience with project diving, involving lots of work underwater (including reeling), and I was sure that my foundational skills were ok (checked with two GUE instructors).
barth
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San Diego Climber
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Not-quite-a-class-report, but adding few data points and random musings based on what was asked/referenced earlier in the thread for anyone in the future. I took C2 a couple of weeks ago in MX with Chris.
* Our underground time in class was about 21 hours. We had a few 2+hr dives in there too; first two dives post-class were 3 and then 4 hrs, which felt pretty wild (and TBH I wasn't even ready to be finished after 4 hours).
* I had 27 dives after C1, definitely wasn't needing to do C2 but all my cave BFFs are C2 and beyond; I felt bad asking them to keep babysitting me on the main line on trips.
* I think I underestimated how challenging class would be since caves are calm, quiet, soothing environments (compared to, say, murky cold ocean tech diving). I was told Chris would put me through the wringer and I was not let down on that front!
* Biggest mental challenge was keeping the entire picture in mind (literally as in the maps and nav, and overall SA of equipment/environment/team). C1 felt more like getting the building blocks while C2 was like "ok, I've already built a cabinet and I've installed a sink but now here's how to do drywall and electrical wiring because you're about to renovate the entire house". Biggest physical challenge was just slowing down.
* Setting up for success:
Situational Awareness!! Making sure while you're doing one thing (stage drops, dealing with the bubble gun, running the line, whatever else) that you are still completely aware of what's happening around you, where you are in the water "column", your teammates.
When in doubt, dropping a cookie when you didn't have to is better than not dropping one when you should have, don't let your teammates have the chance to cookie shame you!
As mentioned a bunch of times, make the reel your friend and don't try to pass off Diver 1 responsibilities unless the line is already coming to open water (boooo). Conceptually I think it's representative of a lot of what you'll be doing in C2, you need to be able to do one thing well at a time, while still keeping track of many other things that are happening at the same time.
Chris's constant reminder was to "do things well" so if you need to just stop and think for a sec, or go slow through the steps of something (stowing a stage hose e.g.), then by all means. Better that than rushed, sloppy, and/or making mistakes while you're doing things.
Also, on the topic of the primary reel, if you have longer jumps you might be doing tie-offs for those too so your line work will continue in the cave; you're not safe once you reach the main line!
The calmer, slower, and more thoughtful you can be, the better off you'll be. I found this class to be more of a constant thinking challenge than an overwhelming challenge of individual skills (as, say, T1 and C1 felt for me). As hard as class was, I was surprisingly -less- tired at the end of each day (again, compare to C1/T1 where by the 6th day I was barely able to make to 8pm without falling asleep at dinner).
* Our underground time in class was about 21 hours. We had a few 2+hr dives in there too; first two dives post-class were 3 and then 4 hrs, which felt pretty wild (and TBH I wasn't even ready to be finished after 4 hours).
* I had 27 dives after C1, definitely wasn't needing to do C2 but all my cave BFFs are C2 and beyond; I felt bad asking them to keep babysitting me on the main line on trips.
* I think I underestimated how challenging class would be since caves are calm, quiet, soothing environments (compared to, say, murky cold ocean tech diving). I was told Chris would put me through the wringer and I was not let down on that front!
* Biggest mental challenge was keeping the entire picture in mind (literally as in the maps and nav, and overall SA of equipment/environment/team). C1 felt more like getting the building blocks while C2 was like "ok, I've already built a cabinet and I've installed a sink but now here's how to do drywall and electrical wiring because you're about to renovate the entire house". Biggest physical challenge was just slowing down.
* Setting up for success:
Situational Awareness!! Making sure while you're doing one thing (stage drops, dealing with the bubble gun, running the line, whatever else) that you are still completely aware of what's happening around you, where you are in the water "column", your teammates.
When in doubt, dropping a cookie when you didn't have to is better than not dropping one when you should have, don't let your teammates have the chance to cookie shame you!
As mentioned a bunch of times, make the reel your friend and don't try to pass off Diver 1 responsibilities unless the line is already coming to open water (boooo). Conceptually I think it's representative of a lot of what you'll be doing in C2, you need to be able to do one thing well at a time, while still keeping track of many other things that are happening at the same time.
Chris's constant reminder was to "do things well" so if you need to just stop and think for a sec, or go slow through the steps of something (stowing a stage hose e.g.), then by all means. Better that than rushed, sloppy, and/or making mistakes while you're doing things.
Also, on the topic of the primary reel, if you have longer jumps you might be doing tie-offs for those too so your line work will continue in the cave; you're not safe once you reach the main line!
The calmer, slower, and more thoughtful you can be, the better off you'll be. I found this class to be more of a constant thinking challenge than an overwhelming challenge of individual skills (as, say, T1 and C1 felt for me). As hard as class was, I was surprisingly -less- tired at the end of each day (again, compare to C1/T1 where by the 6th day I was barely able to make to 8pm without falling asleep at dinner).
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