Hopping my way to full cave...

[CptTightPants21]

Thanks for sharing this inspiring journey! I've thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I look forward to future updates!

In some of the posts you mention your lower than average gas consumption. I've noticed in the videos, that during your breathing cycle you often (not always) have two "spurts" of exhalation for every full inhalation. Is this a conscious technique you use or just your natural breathing pattern? Just wondering if this technique, intentional or not, might help lower gas consumption.?

Thanks again for all the work you have put into this thread! Certainly a breath of fresh air!

Intentional or not it is a technique for lower gas consumption. Slow and steady breaths and slow, steady, and controlled exhales. It isn't the lack of oxygen that causes a person to want to breathe, it is the build up of CO2. By exhaling half (or whatever feels natural) you are expelling enough CO2 to remove the immediate urge to take another breath and allow yourself swim farther on that initial breathe. Sometimes you will breathe out the 2nd half of the 50% and start the cycle over again, other times you might dilute the 2nd half of the 50% by breathing in another 50% of fresh gas and repeating the process. Other times you might feel the CO2 building up and give yourself one or two full breath cycles in relatively faster pace to flush a greater amount of CO2 out. It's a little hard to explain and is a bit like trying to describe how to ride a bike; it comes from experience and being extremely in tune with one's body. It might fall under a category of skip breathing, but it is much more than that and closer to a hyperawareness of your current bodily needs and acting in a manner to satisfy those needs in the most gas efficient method possible. One tip is that this requires a slow and controlled swimming pace - too fast and you generate too much CO2 and are too engrossed in other aspects of the dive to accurately gauge your bodily needs in the manner described above.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Took about a month off from diving (29 days per my computer). Due to some issues with my prosthetic. But I tried to make up for it this week.

Monday I went to Peacock and did a stage dive to the end of the Waterhole line. Peacock was going tannic, the cavern zone was a little milky, we hit a rather large tannic cloud toward the end of the Waterhole line, and when we returned to the cavern zone it was even more milky.

Saturday we hit Ginnie, since everything else was pretty much blown. Another stage dive, this time down the bone line. We didn't take the stages as far as we could, because our plan was to do the circuit. So we dropped them early at the start of the Bone Line, so we wouldn't have to back track far to get them. Swam the circuit and then up to the Maple Leaf, which is my first time getting there. Followed the mainline back down our jump line, picked up our stages, and jump spool. Proceeded out just past the lips, dropped out bottle again. Recalculating thirds, and then jumped to the bypasses. Getting a feel for both of the bypasses. It wasn't difficult for me to pass through, but I would definitely have to be slick, so stages. We headed back the way we came, grabbed stages, deco bottles, and did 15 minutes in the eye.

Sunday, bloody Sunday. I looked at my rig and saw that perhaps I should fix the Edd Mod pull dump string as it was becoming frayed, but I figured it would be good for one more dive, and I would fix it next week. Well it lasted about half way down the gallery, I went to pull it to dump gas due to rising higher and got a handful of string. I was able to control my buoyancy with my inflator dump. But it wasn't the most graceful exit I've had.

Anyways some thoughts, I brought my new video light and the results were pretty good. Though my buddy was the one taking the video with his GoPro. The results would be even better with my GoPro setup that is a more traditional tray mount with attached lights.

He also sent me a picture from at the Maple Leaf. It is funny looking at it, and thinking "My rig looks pretty slick," thought if you asked me what I thought a little over a year ago with bungees and hoses going everywhere, I would think it was complicated. But after starting the dive with a deco bottle and a stage a sidemount rig alone is pretty streamlined.

Yes I am attempting to light the background up with my video light, and yes I wasn't pointing it in the right direction.

My attempt at replicating the Protec bungee worked pretty well I need to make a couple of adjustments. I do much prefer the DIR style rigging vs the sidemount rigging, as it keeps it perfectly straight and doesn't twist around like on the sidemount style. I am also definitely seeing the range improvements.

Now to fix my pull dump, and be more proactive on changing the line. Also I need to take one of my CX-1s to Dive Rite the tail cap stopped working. I hope they still have replacements because I really like them, and I'm not a big fan of the CX-2s side to the side button and not using the large stock of 26650s I have.

 

[tbone1004]

@Manatee Diver if we are being pedantic, it looks like your chest d-rings are really low, your loop bungees should be about 3-4" shorter from the video, and you should have a second bungee on the right bottle to contend with your long hose. It looks like your "long" hose is only 5ft not 7 since it is wrapped pretty tight up by your neck and comes off of your bottle pretty high up. Any particular reason for that?

 

[Manatee Diver]

I noticed the chest D rings and will be adjusting them. That tank does have a second hose retainer but it was loose and slipped down. That has been fixed. The orange hose is a 7 foot hose, I just don't like too much loose hose.

I will look at the bungees when I go over my rig this weekend.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Well I pulled the trigger on a drysuit. My most expensive scuba purchase yet. Hopefully it is a buy once cry once sort of deal.

 

[dewdropsonrosa]

I think you'll love it! Do you mind if I ask how they'll be tailoring the leg for you?

 

[Manatee Diver]

I think you'll love it! Do you mind if I ask how they'll be tailoring the leg for you?

Nothing special as I will be wearing a waterproof prosthetic (another expensive purchase) while diving dry.

 

[Manatee Diver]

So apparently someone turned in a prosthetic leg at Ginnie... I know because someone messaged me to ask if it was mine.

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

So apparently someone turned in a prosthetic leg at Ginnie... I know because someone messaged me to ask if it was mine.

Need a buddy to help manage that kind of thing.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Need a buddy to help manage that kind of thing.

Hopefully soon I can manage it all on my own. It will make my life so much easier. And I will be warm in my drysuit.