Intro Cave Suggestions

[tbone1004]

I've got a couple buddies that routinely give me the opportunity to practice zero viz exits...

ditto, one almost got Edd deployed to come rescue us when a team saw a section blown out. That earned him the name ###-atiller for rotatilling Kings Canyon. Suffice to say he wasn't allowed to be #3 in the team after that...

i think the point is to do them in ow not the overhead. After cave 1 my wife and I practiced some skills in places where you really cant get lost or silt like the peanut tunnel/breakdown room. We never shut lights off as we were told its not smart to do in the ih as it may not come back on. We did those skills in large caverns like at peacock. Or in ow. But you can atill deploy backups without shutting off your prinary.

Obviously I should have gone onto a long section about where is and isn't appropriate to do this drills and specifically how, but alas apparently we can't make assumptions about quality education

 

[Dominick Gheesling]

Gas reserves - 1/6th in, 1/6th out. The reason is because at the Intro level you're just starting to learn how to cave dive, you're at that point where there may be a voice in the back of your head saying "OMG! I'm in a cave!!!!" and your primary goal should be getting home alive while getting used to the environment (and learning how to run a reel, manage your buoyancy/trim, and pacing yourself).

Lights out drills - OMG! I've seen more than one student get entangled, off the line, silt out places, etc. There's a reason instructors should be present and there's a reason we only use certain locations for these. DO NOT DO THEM WITHOUT AN INSTRUCTOR PLEASE!

Backup light deployments? Great idea -- seriously, practice this skill. Now practice it again while being neutrally buoyant and not stirring up silt. Remember, turn on your backup light before unclipping it!

Running a reel? ABSOLUTELY! Every time! Even at Peacock! As an intro diver you have not likely mastered running a reel, this is what you SHOULD be doing right now. I mean literally right now -- quit reading this post on scubaboard and go run a reel!

As for sites, I really like Peacock, Madison, Ginnie for this level. Go do the Catacombs at Ginnie, you'll need a 400' reel and it'll give you some good reel running practice!

Be safe, have fun, enjoy the journey.

Gas reserves - 1/6th in, 1/6th out. The reason is because at the Intro level you're just starting to learn how to cave dive, you're at that point where there may be a voice in the back of your head saying "OMG! I'm in a cave!!!!" and your primary goal should be getting home alive while getting used to the environment (and learning how to run a reel, manage your buoyancy/trim, and pacing yourself).

Lights out drills - OMG! I've seen more than one student get entangled, off the line, silt out places, etc. There's a reason instructors should be present and there's a reason we only use certain locations for these. DO NOT DO THEM WITHOUT AN INSTRUCTOR PLEASE!

Backup light deployments? Great idea -- seriously, practice this skill. Now practice it again while being neutrally buoyant and not stirring up silt. Remember, turn on your backup light before unclipping it!

Running a reel? ABSOLUTELY! Every time! Even at Peacock! As an intro diver you have not likely mastered running a reel, this is what you SHOULD be doing right now. I mean literally right now -- quit reading this post on scubaboard and go run a reel!

As for sites, I really like Peacock, Madison, Ginnie for this level. Go do the Catacombs at Ginnie, you'll need a 400' reel and it'll give you some good reel running practice!

Be safe, have fun, enjoy the journey.

For REEL!!!

I practiced running primary reels in my backyard as a Cavern and Intro Diver. I also practiced connecting jump reels and deploying cookies/arrows in my backyard. Installing that reel smoothly can set the tone for the dive, take your time and relax because you are leading the dive when running the primary. And believe me, people notice this stuff! No better feeling than to have some super experienced cave diver compliment something as seemingly insignificant as your ability with reel and placements to your instructor. Come to think of it, I still run the primary in probably 95% of the dives I'm making.

Here's two more safe, open water exercises that I found incredibly helpful:

1. Both Jeff Dobbertine and Ben Martinez took the time to work with me on this. With a buddy run a primary in a circuit around any spring basin ( I did this at Ginnie and JB) when possible vary the depth of the circuit. After installing the circuit, swim it either with eyes closed or mask off (i prefer mask off) while OKing the line. Swim really slowly. You will feel your buoyancy through contact with the line. If you feel yourself pulling up on line adjust. If you feel yourself pushing down on line adjust. You should really be OKing the line and not putting any pressure on it. Worked great for working on buoyancy for me and really taking the time to feel what correct buoyancy feels like.

2. Couldn't clear one day on a three person team entering Ginnie so I spent the time running a reel down the Run at Ginnie. Then I tied in a jump reel, and another jump reel, and another jump reel and spent the time running the same drill described above by myself. Working on getting neutral in shallow water, going slowly make a huge difference.

Sites: Peacock, Madison, Ginnie

Message me if you want to make a "get to know each other dive". I only dive during the week and am practicing all safety protocols while Covid19 is running rampant.

 

[tbone1004]

@Dominick Gheesling Orange Grove is a really common/good place to do that drill and it is quite common to see classes doing that same drill in the OW area

 

[kensuf]

Hey cave folks, I've been reading this thread with interest and I've got a question regarding drills. @tbone1004 recommended doing lights out exits/gas sharing. My buddy and I frequently practice many of the skills required for coming home after a failure on a (non cave) tech dive. As such, tbone's recommendation seemed sound to me (I would assume that such drill practice would be done nearer to the entrance).

So for the folks suggesting an instructor should be present for such drills, at what point does the cave diver reach a level where they can practice the drills they learned in training without instructor oversight?

Run a line course in open water where you have direct access to the surface in case something goes wrong and practice all you want to your hearts content.