I wanna do it all

[victorzamora]

Although I do not agree with your label of me, I appreciate your post.

At the rate I am going, assuming there is only the 4 stages of training, that is 100 dives. For me to reach 100 dives, I am guessing that is about 5-10 years. That is not that bad.

$8k for gear? over 10 years is not that bad either.

I did not know anything about what really is involved in cave diving or deep diving.

In such a short time, these 4 pages have helped me understand what it will take if I decide to go that route. Anything I do, I do not want to cut corners. I want to be safe. I have learned that the most expensive thing is not always the best. I have learned that sometimes the difference between anything depends purely on what you intend to do.

I intend to dive safely, exploring what is below the surface.

I'm sorry, but 100 dives spread over 10 years will never get you to the proficiency you need to be at.

What hobbies were you in that took you ten years to achieve your goals in? Nine of mine would have that as a feasible solution. They require serious dedication.

 

[swimmer_spe]

I'm sorry, but 100 dives spread over 10 years will never get you to the proficiency you need to be at.

What hobbies were you in that took you ten years to achieve your goals in? Nine of mine would have that as a feasible solution. They require serious dedication.

Nothing nearly as expensive as cave diving. Mind you, I also make more now than before.

Learning how to safely paddle a kayak in the ocean, hiking a major trail, swimming a long open water distance are three i can think of now. Some of those, I have been working at since the 90s.

 

[scubadiver888]

Although I find shellmoundal's posting lacking a little tact I can see why he might be labeling you the way he is.

You are focusing on reaching 4 stages of training and 100 dives. This seems to be focusing on the minimums. As a cave diver you should not be focusing on the minimum requirements because REALLY the minimum requirements are different for each person. Cave instructors have no qualms about not certifying you. You could pay $1000 for a course only to have the instructor tell you you failed and you are not getting your money back. It is like most other educational endeavors. When you go to university and get a degree there is no guarantee you will graduate. Who the university graduates helps determine the quality of the degree. The same applies to cave instructors. How good their students are is a direct reflection on their ability as an instructor. There are hundreds of OW instructors. Some totally suck but they will still be able to find someone to take their class. I have been diving with people Doppler trained. Because of how good they are, I'd hire Doppler in a heartbeat.

I might take a course with someone like Doppler and he would probably help me figure out what MY minimums are. I could easily end up spending $20,000 to get cave certified. Getting certified isn't just about the training it is about what happens between training. For example, I started diving in the Caribbean. When I went to get my AOW in Canada it was with someone who was OW certified in Hawaii on vacation. They weren't at all serious enough about getting certified in Canada. The instructor assumed we were both 'vacation' divers. After our first two dives he went over our log books. When he noted that all my dives after training had notes about what worked, what didn't, the skills I practiced, the different conditions I dive in, etc. I keep my log book for me. I put in notes about the things I learn about myself as a diver. The few cave divers I know are the same way but worse.

If you are doing 100 dives in 5 years then you are averaging 20 dives a year. I do 20 dives a month. I live in a hotel in Dallas at the moment. I bought my own tanks because it will be cheaper than renting. I don't even thing twice about how much money I need to spend on diving. I try to find the most economical way to do things but not diving is not an option. I'm not a cave diver. Not even close.

If you are from Florida then you are probably diving 12 months out of the year. A cave diver will definitely use a drysuit if they need one to dive all year round. I know a few guys who are cave certified in Ontario. They fly to florida all the time so they can keep up their skills. The price of $8,000 is USD and it assumes you life in a area amendable to diving. You are in Sudbury, ON. Can you afford to dive year round? Fly to Florida or some where the cave instructors work? Can you afford the time as well as the money? I lived in Toronto and considered getting cave training. I couldn't afford the time when I was working 9 to 5 in Toronto. Even with 6 weeks vacation it wasn't in the cards.

So talk to some people. Find out what it takes to be an avid diver (that will require a certain level of time and money). After that you want to start talking to technical and cave instructors. There are a few on here. By the time you are an avid diver, knowing who has a good reputation and who is not worth what they are charging will be a lot easier.

The most important thing you'll learn over the next few years is how little you actually know.

 

[PfcAJ]

Before everyone gets going on how expensive all the stuff is, lets pull back the throttle a bit.

In real life, almost all of it can be bought used. A plate doesn't wear out, regs can be rebuilt, and people sell lights all the time. You can acquire all this stuff on even a modest budget if you're patient and know what you're doing. Cheap, good, fast. Pick two.

The training, on the other hand, isn't where to go for a bargain, and its really the most important part.

 

[swimmer_spe]

I was using 100 dives as a best case scenario given what I was told. I know it would take longer.

I have my Ice Diving Certification. Depending on my schedule, I may dive this winter.

I have a life, and I want to do more than just dive when not at work. As I am starting to see, I likely will never get certified for caves. I just do not wish to give up the rest of my life for one of my many hobbies.

I know that within the next 5 years, I will head to Mexico to dive the Cenotes. I have heard that you can do Cavern diving. Spending a week doing that would be worth it.

 

[Max Speed]

Don't give up on caves! Cavern takes a weekend. Intro can be done in a long tiring weekend. Rent a light. My gear was no where near $8,000.

 

[swimmer_spe]

Don't give up on caves! Cavern takes a weekend. Intro can be done in a long tiring weekend. Rent a light. My gear was no where near $8,000.

I am not giving up. I am adjusting my goals with reality.

I do plan to do the cavern cert.

 

[scubadiver888]

Before everyone gets going on how expensive all the stuff is, lets pull back the throttle a bit.

In real life, almost all of it can be bought used. A plate doesn't wear out, regs can be rebuilt, and people sell lights all the time. You can acquire all this stuff on even a modest budget if you're patient and know what you're doing. Cheap, good, fast. Pick two.

The training, on the other hand, isn't where to go for a bargain, and its really the most important part.

Depends where you live. Outside of major dive states like Florida it is a little harder. Outside of the USA it gets a lot harder. I waited years to see someone selling equipment in my area and never saw anything reasonable. I moved to Dallas and saw stuff to buy after two months. Getting something shipped within the USA is easy. When I lived in Canada, most the time I'd find the exchange rate on the dollar, the shipping costs and the duty Canada Customs put on things made it cost almost as much as new from a good shop in Toronto. So I'd buy new.

---------- Post added December 15th, 2014 at 02:27 AM ----------

I am not giving up. I am adjusting my goals with reality.

I do plan to do the cavern cert.

Sounds like you have a plan. I've never made it north to Sudbury. You might want to hit up Doppler and see if he knows some shops,in Sudbury, you can hang out at and ask questions. If you are down in the Toronto area, go diving with AquaSub Scuba. I like talking to one of the owners, Norbert, when it comes to tec. The other dive nerd I knew from there went commercial and doesn't work at AquaSub anymore. They often have local charters in Toronto, up to Tobermory and out near Kingston when the weather gets better.

Everyone at AquaSub are pretty knowledgeable about BP/W configurations. I also used to like talking to the guys out in Oshawa at Dive Source but I was only there for a few months before I got shipped to Vancouver.

 

[Storker]

For me to reach 100 dives, I am guessing that is about 5-10 years. That is not that bad.

I'm sorry, but 100 dives spread over 10 years will never get you to the proficiency you need to be at.

Totally agree. 10, even 20 dives per year is just not enough to keep your skills honed to the level needed for safe tec diving. Heck, I do 30-50 per year, in a DS and with a continuous focus on technique, and if it's been more than two-three weeks since my last dive I have enough just catching up on the skills that have started to 'rust'. Even in the cold and dark winter season I try to get at least one dive every month to avoid my skills deteriorating too much.

There are quite a few things to do in the top 30m and with open water above your head bedsides watching the pretty fishes, like UW photo, spearfishing, drift diving, or marine biology. Many of those are great fun and some of them may even give you a bit of that adrenaline high that you seem to crave.

 

[swimmer_spe]

It isn't adrenaline I see. I have always had the exploration bug.