Mt Gambier Australia Training trip - January 2011

[BB1]

G'Day Kittles, Do it but it WILL spoil you for ever.

After the stress of training you get to enjoy massive viz, not having to wash all your gear afterwards (a huge blessing) etc etc.

A friend from Brisbane who was reading my facebook updates is already asking questions with a view to going down later in the year.

We're also starting to plan a returm trip before the year is out!

 

[Sas]

Makes me want to get cave trained

You should! Cavern is a good intro to it all and you get to do some amazing sites. And there's no current, awesome viz etc.

I am up again in a couple of weeks, tend to go once a month as only six hours drive. People can organise twins and stuff for people further away to use if getting gear down is a hassle!

 

[kittles]

When I get home I'll drop into the post-day review with my wife "honey, I'd like to go and spend some money learning some more diving stuff... so I can be dropped into holes and swim around underground".

I wonder how she'll take it

Cavern is on my list of things to do for sure. Being from QLD we don't have a whole lot in the way of caverns to explore but a yearly trip to SA sounds delightful

 

[BB1]

Btw, the same trick works for Mud Hole and won't silt it out at all! Not sure why nearly everyone says that site is impossible not to silt out, but it can be done

Nice tip thanks!

Oh in my cavern course we had a climbing workshop (up and down the wall at Little Blue) so got taught some techniques, otherwise I don't think I would have made it up!

We didn't have that and I certainly would have appreciated it a lot. I've talked to a climbing friend at work and he's going to try and organise a custom training session for us here in Brisbane.

Haha. My linework was the biggest thing I struggled with as me and my buddy did not do any linework other than a few times in a swimming pool and once for me under a pier, between Cavern and Cave. The rest was straight forward. I really enjoyed the black out drills, it was like an underwater puzzle, figuring out our path back with the cookies and so on.

My line laying is just OK but my buddies is pretty good and I do a fairly good job as No2, lighting good tie offs for him if he doesn't spot them. lighting for him as we go and checking ties. Yeah I found blackout to be far less stressful than I expected, just remember the order off tie offs and what they were tied to and remember that when you feel the square post there are only 2 ties until the surface at gouldens - LOVED that post!!

Yes I really want to do go the Nullarbor in 2012 also! Just trying to organise the logistics seems hard! I can get a compressor and a generator but have not camped and don't know a great deal about dry caving techniques... so lots of things to learn beforehand... I am switching to sidemounts this year, which I have heard is a good thing for the Nullabor...

Compressor and generator are only part of the puzzle, 300m flying fox for gear, 250m to 300m of compressor hose and then all the scooters and bottles........... Its 1.3km's to the rockpile and I think currently thats as far as we go and our job is to help get the gear over that hurdle for the team carrying on to the end of the line past sump 3. A friend of ours did his cave cert in the Nullarbor and hadn't been to Mt Gambier before, we had many comments of "it's nice but its not the nullarbor!"

 

[BB1]

You should! Cavern is a good intro to it all and you get to do some amazing sites. And there's no current, awesome viz etc.

I am up again in a couple of weeks, tend to go once a month as only six hours drive. People can organise twins and stuff for people further away to use if getting gear down is a hassle!

Tanks would be awesome as that's the biggest hassle - we can organise most everything else though it does stretch the baggage allowance quite a bit!!

When I get home I'll drop into the post-day review with my wife "honey, I'd like to go and spend some money learning some more diving stuff... so I can be dropped into holes and swim around underground".

I wonder how she'll take it

Cavern is on my list of things to do for sure. Being from QLD we don't have a whole lot in the way of caverns to explore but a yearly trip to SA sounds delightful

My wife was less than impressed with me doing this and she dives as well....

She does support me when I do mad things like this though and she'll be along for the next trip to do ewans ponds (as its an open site) and then she'll head off to Coonawarra (30 or 40 mins up the road) and various other wineries to indulge her love of red wine while I get wet a lot!!

 

[Sas]

Oh she can dive Little Blue as well actually.

I am sure if you ask around people can organise tanks. How do you get to Gambier? Do you fly there direct or to Melbourne or Adelaide? If you fly to Melbourne you can always borrow mine

 

[BB1]

Nice one but it would have to be little blue instead of little green and very murky like we found it!

Some drove, I flew into Melbourne (stayed in Yaraville) but next time who knows.

Thanks for the offer of tanks loan - will keep it in mind!

OK Home time now, gotta get gear ready - we're diving the HMAS Brisbane tomorrow!

 

[kittles]

Let me know how the vis is. I was pondering doing a trip out to the Brisbane next weekend!

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

Great stuff Ben!!!! Looks like you had a hell of a time. Wish I coulda been there

 

[BB1]

Let me know how the vis is. I was pondering doing a trip out to the Brisbane next weekend!

Vis was about 5 to 6m at best, deep under the engine room down to 2m. Quite a good dive though all up. Lot of life around and low vis made it seem a little moodier!

Great stuff Ben!!!! Looks like you had a hell of a time. Wish I coulda been there

Mike the offers always there, C'mon down under!!