OP
NSS-CDS Full Cave: The Live-Blog
- Thread starter dewdropsonrosa
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Ah ok, that makes much more sense if they were exiting, and at speed under power. Exiting teams have right-of-way, so it seemed weird that you'd just stop your exit for another team unless they were exiting too.
Congratulations again on getting your basic! Onwards and upwards!!!!
OP
Our exit progress was paused to conduct the drill; we gave way so they could pick up their bottles and go.
Well done 
I am sure you must be chuffed! Quite the improvement. Looking forward to hearing the rest of it.
I am sure you must be chuffed! Quite the improvement. Looking forward to hearing the rest of it.
OP
Day 7 - Speedpost from the Road
Last night, I said that we were planning to dive Peacock. When I met with Chris this morning at Cave Country Dive Shop, he made me an offer that I couldn't refuse. Instead of going an hour off-course to Peacock, we could drive an hour north to Madison Blue to save me time on my drive home to Chicago tonight.
Who am I to say no to a pretty cave and a shorter night?!
Madison Blue's spring is really beautiful. It felt like a bit of a squeeze to get into the cave (the 3x3'-ish hole was the tightest restriction I'd done to date, until we got further inside). Our plan for the first dive was to head for the Godzilla circuit in one direction, drop a cookie when I hit thirds, and then attempt to complete the circuit in the reverse direction on the second dive.
Because the flow at Madison Blue is so tame compared to Ginnie, my air consumption was splendid. We finished the circuit at a leisurely pace, enjoyed the scenery, and I didn't hit my turn pressure until the 300ft arrow on the way out.
Although there weren't very many true restrictions through that part of the cave, the low ceiling heights (24"-ish in some places) really made my up my game in negotiating tight spaces. Let's be real, there are probably some boob-shaped drag marks in the sand from places where I was really trying to protect my manifold and knobs from impact...
We had ample air left after our first exit (I had 2100 psi), so we decided to reuse the tanks for a second dive on a short third of 700 psi. Although that doesn't sound like much, we stretched it into another 45 minute exploration dive.
Chris (who counts MB as his favorite cave) brought me to a passage off the main line and signalled for me to tie off and lead the dive. Yesterday, I would have found it mentally daunting to handle reeling and leading into uncharted-to-me territory. Today? No sweat. I am certified cave diver and I have this ish under control.
We weren't making record time, but I tried to deliberately find 2-3 possible placements in transition zones, find the best one, and leave the line secure. I made a secondary tie-off before we went through a tight mouth/bedding plane-type deal and dropped on the other side. When I light-signalled to Chris to get his teammate permission to pass through the restriction, he waved me back and had me reel in. During the debrief, he indicated that things went well and that I'm looking more confident and less fumbly in my reelwork.
It was nice to end the week with a fun dive in such a pretty place - I'm looking forward to coming back here and learning more of the cave.
Coming next... tentative plans to finish Apprentice in December.
Last night, I said that we were planning to dive Peacock. When I met with Chris this morning at Cave Country Dive Shop, he made me an offer that I couldn't refuse. Instead of going an hour off-course to Peacock, we could drive an hour north to Madison Blue to save me time on my drive home to Chicago tonight.
Who am I to say no to a pretty cave and a shorter night?!
Madison Blue's spring is really beautiful. It felt like a bit of a squeeze to get into the cave (the 3x3'-ish hole was the tightest restriction I'd done to date, until we got further inside). Our plan for the first dive was to head for the Godzilla circuit in one direction, drop a cookie when I hit thirds, and then attempt to complete the circuit in the reverse direction on the second dive.
Because the flow at Madison Blue is so tame compared to Ginnie, my air consumption was splendid. We finished the circuit at a leisurely pace, enjoyed the scenery, and I didn't hit my turn pressure until the 300ft arrow on the way out.
Although there weren't very many true restrictions through that part of the cave, the low ceiling heights (24"-ish in some places) really made my up my game in negotiating tight spaces. Let's be real, there are probably some boob-shaped drag marks in the sand from places where I was really trying to protect my manifold and knobs from impact...
We had ample air left after our first exit (I had 2100 psi), so we decided to reuse the tanks for a second dive on a short third of 700 psi. Although that doesn't sound like much, we stretched it into another 45 minute exploration dive.
Chris (who counts MB as his favorite cave) brought me to a passage off the main line and signalled for me to tie off and lead the dive. Yesterday, I would have found it mentally daunting to handle reeling and leading into uncharted-to-me territory. Today? No sweat. I am certified cave diver and I have this ish under control.
We weren't making record time, but I tried to deliberately find 2-3 possible placements in transition zones, find the best one, and leave the line secure. I made a secondary tie-off before we went through a tight mouth/bedding plane-type deal and dropped on the other side. When I light-signalled to Chris to get his teammate permission to pass through the restriction, he waved me back and had me reel in. During the debrief, he indicated that things went well and that I'm looking more confident and less fumbly in my reelwork.
It was nice to end the week with a fun dive in such a pretty place - I'm looking forward to coming back here and learning more of the cave.
Coming next... tentative plans to finish Apprentice in December.
Awesome!!!! This is my favorite post so far! Sounds like you did great, and it really sounds like it's all coming together. The most fun part of cave diving is when the mental, the physical, and the cave all come together, and it sounds like you nailed it! Welcome to the club!
elgoog
Contributor
Take a trip to Mexico for some fun diving now that you have the Intro card. You'll be doing hour long penetrations even on 1/6s
@dewdropsonrosa You mentioned lost line and other skills at Apprentice level. What's the difference between doing them at Intro and the higher level? Are you farther from the line, covering more distance, etc? I'm only Intro and curious what the additional factors are.
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OP
@rjack321 covers it pretty well. At each level of difficulty, passing requires that you show mastery above the previous level. For the lost-line drill, this might include any or all of:
My Basic and Apprentice line recovery drills were conducted in the same place, but conditions were slightly more challenging for Apprentice and I was expected to perform with more polish.
- Better trim/buoyancy without reference
- Increased smoothness and speed on deploying the reel
- Making a better tie-off (choosing a good place, good line technique)
- Demonstrating the ability to "read the cave" (feel the flow and use it to determine directions, distinguish between different floor materials that might tell you where you are)
- Conducting the search with the appropriate technique and rhythm
- Covering a greater distance, possibly negotiating over/around obstacles
My Basic and Apprentice line recovery drills were conducted in the same place, but conditions were slightly more challenging for Apprentice and I was expected to perform with more polish.
This is easily one of my favorite threads here. Congrats on the first cert! I look forward to reading about your adventures in December as I too hope to learn cave in the coming future.
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