DIR- Generic Preparations/Tips for GUE Cave 1

[siuja472]

Dear fellow divers,

I have an upcoming GUE Cave 1 course in Mexico later this year and would love some advice from those who’ve gone through it or are familiar with the process. This will be my first cave diving course, and I want to make sure I’m as prepared as possible:
Is the swim test typically conducted in a pool, or does it depend on the instructor’s choice (e.g., cenote, open water)? For those who took the course in Mexico, where did you do your swim test? I have always been a pool swimmer and being able to kick off the walls on both ends does help...
I’ve heard the course is intense with a focus on teamwork, navigation, and emergency procedures. Any drills or skills I should practice beforehand to get ahead?
Any advice/ tips are very much appreciated. Many thanks!!

 

[johnkendall]

Practice your fundamentals skills. Make sure your back kick works effortlessly. Remember to also practice the unconscious diver rescue.
Make sure you work on your fitness, Cave 1 is an intense class with a lot of water time. And in Mexico the steps to get into the water are somewhat "organic", so you need core strength to avoid injury.
In terms of the swim, most instructors will do the swim in one of the cenotes.
Finally, make sure your gear is all in good working order. Especially drysuit. If any of the seals look tired, replace them now, don't wait for anything to fail during the class.

And then try to relax and enjoy the caves, Mexico diving is awesome.

HTH
John

 

[steinbil]

I would listen to John, as he teaches these classes. And what he wrote correlates very well with my experience. On my class with Chris I did the swim in one of the Cenotes, accompanied by lots of freshwater turtles, it was beautiful. But no kicking off the edge, so maybe try turning before the wall next time you're in the pool.

I think I benefited from doing Tech 1 first in that I had already trained failure scenarios and some basic reelwork before my Cave 1 class, but unless you have very good mentors I wouldn't try to practice those skills before the class to make sure you don't have to spend time unlearning bad habits. As long as your fundamental skills are good, you should have the capacity to learn everything during your class - Cave 1 is an introductory class after all.

 

[Lorenzoid]

On my class with Chris I did the swim in one of the Cenotes, accompanied by lots of freshwater turtles, it was beautiful. But no kicking off the edge, so maybe try turning before the wall next time you're in the pool.

Same for me. Chris had us do the swim test at X'tabay. There was a bit of rock at one end that, if kicked just right, could be utilized to help turn, but I think about halfway through the swim I stopped trying to kick it and just turned myself in midwater. Non-pool swims can be frustrating, but if a relatively poor swimmer such as myself can get through it, anyone can.

@siuja472 , you are going to have so much fun!

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

Revise your Fundies skills, that was a big one for me - I was doing a lot of non-GUE diving before Cave 1 and got a bit of talking to about precise S-drill steps, not remembering MDL and such.

As John mentioned, sort out your gear. Depending on the shop, they might fix leaks overnight but it’s not a happy moment and can derail the class.

If you dive with mostly more experienced GUE divers, go diving with newbies too - teamwork is important and you need to contribute to the team and challenge others, not just follow. If you just finished Fundies and have little time underwater or haven’t dived lately, go fun diving.

It’s a brilliant class, demanding but so much fun

 

[crofrog]

work to be efficient in your gear setup, donning / doffing. work to be able to become completely motionless in the water. Get comfortable contouring and being in a head down or head up position.