First thing I learned today is how to figure out which tank went on which side -- this had not been an issue before, because I have two left-handed tanks. Out in the water, something was wrong, and I had the tanks on the wrong side. One nice thing with two long hoses, is I could just swap them. One bad thing about them being on different sides, is I had them stowed / pulled out differently. So, reference the previous video, I was making spaghetti of myself! :laughing: Obviously, something as small as how one stows one's hoses cannot be taken for granted.
We went through many valve drills, and I spent any spare minutes clipping and unclipping the right regulator to develop muscle memory of the ring's location. Interestingly, with the weight pouches on the back, the shoulder straps seem to be slightly lifted (higher up on my chest), so I keep missing the top D-ring. Maybe it's the weight pulling the straps up?
Speaking of top D-ring, I swapped it out for a welded fixed D-ring. That helps a great deal in snapping to the D-ring. I recommyend you try it, if you haven't. Thanks, Rob!
I worked on my frog kick some more . . . it seems a wee bit better. I did several circuits around the basin, and was astonished to find both an upwelling of warm water, and a stream of cold that seemed to come above and 'fall' into the basin. It didn't take long for me to avoid that particular area.
Rob also took me on a short tour of the cavern -- the white of the limestone was in stark relief to the dark pieces of wood and such that was captured in the flurries of the flow. The flow has sculpted the soft limestone over the years into fantastical shapes while chipping off tiny pieces of limestone that flutters up into the basin. :daydreaming: Rob showed me where the flow came in -- Huge pressure, like a 2ft pipe of an artesian well, if anyone has been by one. It's so sad that the sheriff blew the passage some years back because divers died in the cave. We really cannot make the world safe by destroying that which is different or requires specialized training and equipment.
All in all, a wonderful day of being 'tweaked' by a pro . . . What a splendid experience!
We went through many valve drills, and I spent any spare minutes clipping and unclipping the right regulator to develop muscle memory of the ring's location. Interestingly, with the weight pouches on the back, the shoulder straps seem to be slightly lifted (higher up on my chest), so I keep missing the top D-ring. Maybe it's the weight pulling the straps up?
Speaking of top D-ring, I swapped it out for a welded fixed D-ring. That helps a great deal in snapping to the D-ring. I recommyend you try it, if you haven't. Thanks, Rob!
I worked on my frog kick some more . . . it seems a wee bit better. I did several circuits around the basin, and was astonished to find both an upwelling of warm water, and a stream of cold that seemed to come above and 'fall' into the basin. It didn't take long for me to avoid that particular area.
Rob also took me on a short tour of the cavern -- the white of the limestone was in stark relief to the dark pieces of wood and such that was captured in the flurries of the flow. The flow has sculpted the soft limestone over the years into fantastical shapes while chipping off tiny pieces of limestone that flutters up into the basin. :daydreaming: Rob showed me where the flow came in -- Huge pressure, like a 2ft pipe of an artesian well, if anyone has been by one. It's so sad that the sheriff blew the passage some years back because divers died in the cave. We really cannot make the world safe by destroying that which is different or requires specialized training and equipment.
All in all, a wonderful day of being 'tweaked' by a pro . . . What a splendid experience!
I'll let her tell you about those. I think she'll be posting some video with her report. After those drills, I grabbed my reel and ran it back to the gold line and gave Jax a tour of the cavern. Of course, after I pointed out a fossil here and there and got her distracted, I threw another drill at her. She continued to do great.
