Help me make up my mind!

[LordHavoc]

I want to do cave course. I have been diving in a country where we had utd divers but not many gue divers. I am a decompression diver and they were doing the utd version of intro to tech but their skills were very identical. I am not a bad diver but I am still learning. They were getting into tech but they swam better and overall skill level was better. I have been following their podcasts too which are good information.

I was looking at a place where the instructor is utd. I do not know him personally but the belief is, and what I have witnessed too, that utd divers come out very identical in skill or they dont graduate. I also have access to some big name cave instructors. These are very well appreciated names in diving. I was told that with other agencies a good instructor will show you very good skills and technique and coaching will be good too but end result will never be consistent. There will be variation in graduating students skill level. Some students good, some students bad, depends on how much you absorb in the class and how much you learn later on your own.

In the end, everyone dives the same but with others skills is built over time outside class while utd says build high level skill before card. Cave is dangerous. I want to know if I want to come out of class with highest skill then should I go with utd or should I find a well respected name?

 

[grantctobin]

I want to do cave course. I have been diving in a country where we had utd divers but not many gue divers. I am a decompression diver and they were doing the utd version of intro to tech but their skills were very identical. I am not a bad diver but I am still learning. They were getting into tech but they swam better and overall skill level was better. I have been following their podcasts too which are good information.

I was looking at a place where the instructor is utd. I do not know him personally but the belief is, and what I have witnessed too, that utd divers come out very identical in skill or they dont graduate. I also have access to some big name cave instructors. These are very well appreciated names in diving. I was told that with other agencies a good instructor will show you very good skills and technique and coaching will be good too but end result will never be consistent. There will be variation in graduating students skill level. Some students good, some students bad, depends on how much you absorb in the class and how much you learn later on your own.

In the end, everyone dives the same but with others skills is built over time outside class while utd says build high level skill before card. Cave is dangerous. I want to know if I want to come out of class with highest skill then should I go with utd or should I find a well respected name?

I’d argue there are non-GUE instructors that produce similar calibre students to GUE programs, but there is far more inconsistency in other agencies. I’d also be wary of some of the “big names,” as it’s not always correlated with quality of education.

I’d start with:
-where are you located?
-where will you be doing most of your cave diving after class?
-how far are you willing to travel for class?

This forum has a decent bit of familiarity with US and Mexico based cave instructors, but you’ll have to look around a little more closely for recommendations in e.g Europe or Oz.

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

Which group of divers do you want to dive with? Take training from the same agency they use.

 

[LordHavoc]

I’d argue there are non-GUE instructors that produce similar calibre students to GUE programs, but there is far more inconsistency in other agencies. I’d also be wary of some of the “big names,” as it’s not always correlated with quality of education.

I’d start with:
-where are you located?
-where will you be doing most of your cave diving after class?
-how far are you willing to travel for class?

This forum has a decent bit of familiarity with US and Mexico based cave instructors, but you’ll have to look around a little more closely for recommendations in e.g Europe or Oz.

Thanks. My post was about utd not gue but makes sense.

-Im in the USA till the end of the year at least. Then I travel.
-I dont know. My work involves a lot of international travel.
- While Im in USA, I can do anywhere in US and also Mexico. If I go to Europe then I can train with Ben Bos but I prefer to do it here or Mexico unless there are pressing reasons.

 

[skippy311]

silt and air and mental control and guide lines

 

[halocline]

Cave is dangerous. I want to know if I want to come out of class with highest skill then should I go with utd or should I find a well respected name?

I haven't read all the responses, so apologies if I'm repeating someone else. The agency doesn't matter as much as the quality of instructor, although I suppose some agencies will tend to attract instructors of certain mindsets. But the most important thing in learning to cave dive safely is your own standards and attitude as a student. An excellent teacher will do everything he/she can to hold you to specific standards, but in the end, you are going to be the person in the cave, with teammates relying on you. You have to internalize the training while continuing to learn on your own from each dive.

 

[halocline]

but I prefer to do it here or Mexico unless there are pressing reasons.

Here's a recommendation for you, Natalie Gibb or Vince Roquette-Cathala at Under The Jungle in Mexico. These are super dedicated teachers with very high standards. It's a great place with an excellent learning culture.

 

[The Chairman]

Mexican caves are pretty easy in some respects and harder in others. I would hate to be in there, lose buoyancy or situational awareness for a second and hurt any decorations. However, they are mostly low flow and shallow, so no need to hurry.

Most Florida caves have far more flow, are deeper, but lack decorations. A lack of buoyancy or situational awareness is more likely to hurt the diver here, and planning is far more rigorous. Retrieving your safety line in the eye at Ginnie for the first time is usually a white knuckle affair.