NSS-CDS Full Cave: The Live-Blog

[michael-fisch]

Reccomend "The Great Outdoors" in High Springs.

Michael

 

[dewdropsonrosa]

Reccomend "The Great Outdoors" in High Springs.

I was there on Tuesday! Half-price burger night and the first time I tried gator.

 

[michael-fisch]

On your way back from dives in the Peacock Springs area you should check out " Sisters Cafe" in Branford, it is also good food.
The place to avoid is Hardees in Branford, in all likelyhood they are still using the same fat in the fryer that they were using the last time I ate there, back in 1999.

Michael

 

[lv2dive]

...I have learned my lesson about ceilings and isolator valves. It will not happen again....”

That is a fantastic goal... just don’t be surprised if it does happen again if you are an active diver. ;-)

... my air consumption is starting to improve noticeably. I usually come out of the cave within ~300 PSI (~20 bar) of him.

That’s really impressive. Keep up the great work!

I have more trouble than the average student with pulling in hard flow. I’m 5’4” (163cm) and I don’t have a lot of upper body strength. I made a joke about taking up some light weightlifting, and then it occurred to me that it’s probably a good idea.

That probably has a lot to do with the fact you are female and the average student is male. The typical male has a significant advantage over the typical female when it comes to upper body strength and therefore pull and glide capabilities. There is one cave in N FL, Hart Springs, where I’ve had to call the dive and my two male dive buddies didn’t have a significant problem.

Like others, I think you’ve planned a lot in a short period of time, but I know Reggie is an instructor who requires you earn your certifications, and you seem to have a great attitude. Best of luck!

 

[dewdropsonrosa]

How many people are doing the course? Are you doing the course alone?

This is a private course for me. In February, one of Reggie's partner-instructors has a two-student course, so he and the other instructor will be teaching as a team.

For something as complex as cave diving, I think a 2:1 ratio wouldn't get me the level of coaching that I need.

 

[rddvet]

Finally… we did our first planned deco dive today! We grabbed a fresh set of tanks for this dive, so we got to use the full third for penetration (1100 psi vs. 600-700 to allow for multiple dives on a set).

You're stuck diving in high fllow caves because everything's blown. Make sure to have a serious talk about diving to 1/3 in no flow caves if you haven't already. The general concensus is that 1/3s is not truly conservative enough, many believing it to be true even in high flow caves.

 

[lv2dive]

If you like pork chops or baby back ribs, try Bev’s (the sit-down one not the hamburger walkup joint). Their bbq pork chops and baby back ribs are the best I’ve tasted. Not as many divers as GO but great food nonetheless.

 

[dewdropsonrosa]

Reference post:

For anyone following the thread who isn't familiar with the dive sites that I'm mentioning, here's a video from a freediver that will give you a sense of Devil's Eye and Devil's Ear.

 

[CptTightPants21]

If you like pork chops or baby back ribs, try Bev’s (the sit-down one not the hamburger walkup joint). Their bbq pork chops and baby back ribs are the best I’ve tasted. Not as many divers as GO but great food nonetheless.

Also a big fan of the fried pickles

 

[shoredivr]

Reference post:

For anyone following the thread who isn't familiar with the dive sites that I'm mentioning, here's a video from a freediver that will give you a sense of Devil's Eye and Devil's Ear.

This video is cringe worthy though, breath hold and pointing towards a supposed link to the Eye from the Ear and vice versa. Isn’t the catacombs in the middle there?